FF Banding Together
by Verlerious
Summary: IrvinexSquall, RenoxVincent[?] SeiferxZell KirosxLaguna And alot of other MxM pairings unknown. An FF8, FF7 AU crossover. It's about music as three famous bands are competing in a competition to be the best in Gaia.
1. FF Banding Together 1

Warnings: yaoi, AU, slight moments of nose bleed, possibly major angst in later chapters, emotion stress, attitude, crossovers, possibly major flirtation action, stuff even I don't know about

Pairings: Irvine/Squall, Reno/Vincent?, the rest is unknown at the moment.

Author's comments: Yes I had another random inspiration. This time I wanted to make a band. Soooo I made three bands! SeeD, The Posse, and Chaos Materia. Two FF8 bands and one FF7 and well…the plot will be told inside the story in a sec. But mostly the focus will be on Irvine and Squall so I say…I get the feeling it'll be jumping around from band to band…

Comments: _things in italics_ lyrics or well, singing

**things in bold** what the character is thinking

FF Banding Together 1

Finally the big break, the thing they'd been waiting for all this time. This would be their chance to shine, their chance of glory! People would learn that they weren't just a grocery store band, they were a band. They were THE band. They were the best band there was and they were going to prove it at the Bahamut competition…once they got out of the car anyway. There was still a ways of riding to go through before they arrived.

Irvine sighed lazily opening his eyes as he stared out the window of the limousine, looking out at the city lights, already seeing the people starting to gather around to follow the limo as it rode by. Yes, this was one of the biggest events ever in Gaia and somehow his band was one of the three to make it there. He had to admit that he was very very proud of his band. Irvine glanced back into the car, looking to his other two band mates. Zell was sitting on the other end of the seat he was sharing with Irvine, his feet actually up on the chair as he was curled up on himself napping. It was good he was getting rest now. Earlier he was hopping around with such excitement, you'd think he were a kid going to a carnival.

Zell Dincht, the man with the sticks, their drummer. He could be considered just as popular as Irvine himself, his tattoo lending a hand to this as well as his extreme enthusiasm. Right now the cute little drummer was wearing a soft silk white shirt, the buttons actually loose because Zell said he felt more comfortable that way. That wasn't going to help them once the fans spot the smooth skin of his hairless chest or his sleepy eyed look. His pants were white as well, with zippers going up the sides to stop at the lower part of his thighs. Zell was almost a perfect picture of innocence, almost. Yes, the zippers on his soft silky white pants were zipped up as well showing more creamy skin as his legs were curled up on the seat as well between them, taking up space and generally just flashing constantly at Irvine. It took Irvine a good deal of willpower to remember that he was a straight man, not a gay one. Eden only knows what kind of troubles that would cause. They'd just have to remember to tell Zell to fix himself before they got out, or else there be problems with rioting females. Leading down from his pants where white boots, also with zippers and straps going across them that said it probably took about three minutes to get out of them each. With all the white on, the black of the interesting tattoo on his cheek stood out. His hair stuck up in the air as well, seeming to defy gravity even without the help of gel cream and such. He was just the perfect picture of the positive.

Moving his eyes away from the slightly younger boy quickly, Irvine looked across to the other band member there and his girlfriend. His eyes narrowed slightly and he sniffed turning his eyes out towards the city again. To be honest, they'd never gotten along. Squall Leonhart. He was the guitar player for the band who also seemed to harbor a sort of hate for the auburn haired male. No one ever really knew what it was between them that caused such hate. Irvine knew. It was the other's lack of dedication to the band. He always spent his time around his girlfriend doing who knows what and no one ever said anything. 'He's allowed free time just like the rest,' says Quistis, their manager. Sheesh, what does she know? Though glancing back again Irvine could see why their boss wouldn't want to get rid of him. Aside from himself, Squall was simply gorgeous. His dark locks not really staying in place and always moving with the slightly tilt of his head, sometimes covering over an eye in such a sexy way. Instead of wearing white like Zell, Squall wore black. His outfit was slightly different in that he wore leather instead. It wasn't that hard leather either but the soft kind that looked oh so good and shiny but still allowed you to move around. Though the pants didn't have the marvelous designing of Zell's with the zippers, they did come with random red gun holsters that would crisscross at Squall's hips. One could say they'd draw the attention downwards but Irvine was being a nice guy today. There were no guns in them at all, just the idea of having them for design. Squall's black boots were simple; however, as they just zipped up at the center to the top and that was it. However, unlike Zell's boots that were only ankle high, Squall's went up to the center of the calf, the pants covering over them. Just for today these clothing were for show. They had so much wardrobe it was insane.

Heck, even Irvine's own clothing could be considered weird as he was wearing his glitter decorated black hat. Actually the hat was sitting on the floor in front of him during the ride but when he got out he'd have to wear it. His shirt was white just like Zell's except it was buttoned up, just designed to show his midriff and taunt stomach. His pants were again black, giving the alternation that he was a part of both his band members, stayed tight against his legs feeling to him like they were just a part of him now. He was itching to get out of them really as he'd worn them too long and they were starting to get uncomfortable, especially in the crotch area. As the pants traveled down his legs they seemed to seamlessly go into the pair of white boots that came up to the knee. His boots were meant to be tied up with black shoestrings and so had been, the bow draping down the sides. Aside from all this, he also had a Zebra like coat that he also had sitting on the ground in front of them. Sometimes he wondered if they should have been called the 'Zebra Boys' instead of 'SeeD'.

Yes it was a boy band all the way. In fact the only females there were the manager Quistis and Rinoa, Squall's girlfriend. She was sitting beside Squall, her head resting on his arm as she slept quietly. It had been a long ride from the airport, and they were just now 15 minutes into the city itself. The city was littered with people wandering around, trying to sell T-shirts and false tickets to the major concert soon to happen.

"We're there now, so everyone get ready. Someone wake Zell up now." That was the manager. She was sitting up front and had spoken through the intercom installed inside the limo. With a sigh, Irvine finally sat up reaching down to place the hat on him and also sliding his arms in zebra coat as he labeled it. Ah, it's show time. He reached down shaking Zell awake just as the limo was slowing down. Glancing over he saw Rinoa just starting to awaken before suddenly the door to the limo was opened and he stepped out putting on his playboy of a grin for all the female fans. Yes this was his life. Was it going to get better from here or worse?

* * *

Squall snorted slightly as he stepped out after Irvine, his feet landing down on the red carpet as he stood then turned around helping Rinoa out of the car. It was public news already to the point that Rinoa could be considered just as famous as himself. Rinoa instantly latched onto his arm once she was out of the car, the lights from the flashing of cameras blinding the both of them. It was really a good thing he was used to it. He recalled being told about Zell when he first joined and how he actually had fallen over.

With a slight glance behind him, he saw Zell step out as well, his shirt still unbuttoned causing a sudden gushing of screams from females nearby as they started pushing against the guards around them trying to get to the blond boy. _Shit!_ "Zell, get a move on," Squall said to him as he held onto Rinoa's hand tighter and started to walk faster. Zell didn't hesitate, rushing past the other as he went on inside the giant hotel doors. He didn't need to be told twice. Squall also knew from experience when the fans broke loose and practically chased them down in an almost riot. It would be worse this time considering that three top bands had come today. He preferred not to be the first one this time. _Speaking of which, where is that idiot singer?_

As if hearing his words, Irvine waved to Squall as soon as he had entered the hotel, then turned and walked off down a hallway. Squall assumed that meant he wanted him to follow and went along, tugging Rinoa beside him. She was still in a bit of a daze from all the lights, but that couldn't be helped. As he was following behind Irvine he could see the man talking to Zell, admonishing him from what Squall could tell, considering he was pointing to Zell's chest then towards the doors outside. Obviously he was talking about the fact that Zell had forgotten to button up his shirt before getting out the car. Squall walked faster so he could catch up, Rinoa keeping up at his side as he got closer to the other two coming in on the tail end of the conversation.

"So just be careful in the future, ok?" Irvine said tipping his hat back slightly.

"Hey, come on. You act like I don't know what I'm doing. I've been in this band as long as you have!" Zell huffed slightly then turned walking backwards. "Hey, you've only been with us one and a half months now, haven't cha, Squall?"

Squall blinked realizing that someone was talking to him then snorted slightly at that. "Two months." Of course he knew how long he'd been with the band because he knew when he got paid and how much.

"Tsk, I don't even know why you bother." Irvine sent a slight glare back at Squall then rolled his eyes looking ahead again. "It's not like he cares about anything but the money."

Squall scowled at that clenching his free hand into a fist. "And all you care about is getting laid."

"Stop it! That's enough!" Quistis, who had been leading the group down the hallway this whole time turned around and glared at the lot of them. "This is not the place nor the time for such nonsense. You are to look and act professional while you are staying here this week."

"Psh. I don't see why we have to stay the whole week anyway," Irvine said holding the rim of his hat and tilting it down sexily. "We really don't need the practice because we're better than the rest of them anyway."

"You know why we have to stay. Besides just being here we need to practice through the songs, both our own and the one they will give us. Now act like you two have some civility!" Quistis turned and started down the hallway again leaving the other four staring at her back. Yeah Quistis was one for a short fuse.

"Hmm…I wonder what has her panties in a knot," Irvine said shrugging his shoulders as he started off after her.

"…." Squall just settled for glowering after him before he finally registered the tugging on his hand and looked over at Rinoa.

"Calm down, Squall. Don't let him get to you. He's pigheaded, we know that." She smiled up at him holding his hand in both of her smaller softer ones. Squall sighed softly and finally began to calm down, starting to walk after the others now. This was supposed to be one of the best hotels in Gaia. And really, it was nothing like their Balamb hotel at all. No matter where you went there was a soft plush carpet under your feet. It looked like it got cleaned probably ten times a day since there wasn't a single piece of trash on the ground or even insects crawling around. The paint and wallpapers weren't peeling off the walls and ceilings. All the bulbs shined brightly. The servants walking by smiled at you politely and looked willing to help you should you need it. Then again they were a popular band, of course they would want to help.

"Here," Quistis said stopping the group and turning towards the door. "This is Irvine's room. Room 110." She turned to the cowboy dressed male, so Squall liked to call him, and handed him a key card. "Your stuff is already inside the rooms so get settled in now and then meet down at the lobby in ten minutes." She looked up towards them. "This means all of you. If you need me for anything I'll be in room 106." Which was just two doors down from Irvine's meaning she wouldn't have to hear his…nightly activities. Quistis walked up to Zell and gave him his room key, room 112, then gave Squall his, room 114. Evens on one side, odds on the other. Zell was the unlucky one to sleep in the room next to Irvine's. It had probably been done on purpose because of hostility between Squall and Irvine. Yes…Squall truly disliked Irvine. For many reasons he'd rather not list.

After giving them their keys, Quistis turned and walked off heading towards her room without a backward glance. They were on their own for…ten minutes? It seemed so short an amount for rest considering the travel they whole way there from the airport. If he recalled well, the only two that had stayed awake the whole time were him and Irvine. Sometimes he wondered about the other band groups and if they had this sort of problems. He took a guess that they'd find out today.

"Shall we get going?" Rinoa smiled at him having taken the key away while he was thinking and unlocked the door. Squall nodded his head as he followed her inside the room. He didn't want to say it but he depended a lot on Rinoa. She was the only one who had ever tried to communicate with him. Maybe that was why he clinged to her. He wasn't sure but he was glad she was here for him. That way he wasn't alone.

Irvine gave out a deep contented sigh, stretching his arms up above his head. Man it was great to finally get a chance to relax! Sitting in a car for that long had given him a backache. He couldn't say he was looking forward to going to the lobby. But it was probably something important. Quistis would have just given them the sheet music if it had been just that. It was probably a reception or something that was welcoming them. Who wouldn't want to welcome him? Well his room was really nice, and very comfortable looking.

Since he was the only one rooming there they had provided him with giant bed with silk sheets, and a couch, which sat at the other side of the room. The restroom was by the door but looking inside, he was surprised at how huge it was. It even had a Jacuzzi! The bath itself was about the size of a tiny swimming pool. And there was room service ready to provide him with anything! Oh he'd have fun at this one. It was like a mini apartment. Irvine glanced over towards the clock and saw the time. Eight minutes and counting till he had to be down at the lobby. With a sigh he tilted his head forward and slipped back out of the room, putting the keycard in his pocket. Ah, he might as well go early and see what it was about. Maybe he'd mingle with some of the guest there. Yeah.

As he made itself to the lobby, he kept thinking becoming more and more frustrated with his thoughts of Squall. His ponytail would swing back and forth with each step as he got nearer. Did he really dislike Squall that much? Sometimes he would actually decide the guy wasn't so bad until he said something sarcastic anyway. But then what band didn't have a conflict in it?

Irvine finally made it to the lobby and stepped inside before he was frozen at the door. Ah, unexpected, very unexpected. The other two bands were here as well. Maybe he was early. He smiled slightly and started inside the lobby. It wasn't just the band groups there but there were other people as well, guest from all around the world who were all staying at the hotel for the big event. However, this was more like a miniature party for the three competing groups.

Tsk, more like a fashion show.

Yes, just as the SeeD had been forced the dress up for their appearance. So where the other bands as well. And he had to admit…they didn't look bad, not at all. One of them actually caught his attention and he stared after him, curiosity blurring in his mind. The long, black haired male just walked by him without even a glance his way, eyes a beautiful red color which Irvine questioned to be contacts, even though his own were strangely violet themselves. The man had a spiked color around his neck, a tag dangling back and forth from it though it was too late for Irvine to read it as he was already gone. However, it didn't stop Irvine's eyes from trailing over his body, watching the sway of hips as the other walked, a strange sense of confidence radiating from him, that and something else.

"I see you've taken quite an interest in our dancer."

Irvine turned around quickly at the sound of the voice and came face to face with another male, this one with red hair that was about the length of his own. The man gave a cheeky grin and Irvine had to smile back slightly though he was a little startled by the other sneaking up on him. No one really ever got away with that. "Dancer?"

"Yes. Vincent Valentine." The male stuck a toothpick in his mouth, probably for no more reason than something to chew on. "He's actually a new addiction to our band but he's been well…I'd say a very _good_ addiction." A certain light shined in his eyes and Irvine shook his head. "Well he's interesting, I can say that."

"Yes, it's been said that he's even enough to turn a man gay." He lifted his brow slightly at Irvine, his eyes searching him as he reached up again taking the toothpick from his mouth. "But I'm sure you'd know about that sorta thing."

"Hey, I'm not gay!" Irvine winced slightly at the loudness and lowered his voice glowering at the man for accusing him of being what he wasn't.

The man shrugged slightly. "Suit yourself, Irvine Kinneas, or should I say Mr. Kinneas." He laughed slightly and tossed the toothpick down stepping on it and turning his foot listening for it to snap in two before he continued. "If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm Reno. We'll be competing against each other in the Bahamut competition." A smirk lifted to Reno's lips as he reached up, his fingers just about to touch Irvine's face before he brought then back down, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oops, I almost forgot. You're not gay. A man's touch would probably scar you for life. Too bad, really." Without another word, Reno turned around, his hands sliding into his pockets as he started off getting lost in the crowd of people. How he did it was a mystery considering how bright that hair was. Either way it left Irvine growling and ready for revenge. Oh he'd show him a thing or two.

Just wait! Once I win this competition you'll be begging to be in my band! Ha!

Still his eyes turned slightly in the direction in which the black haired angel had went before he heard voices calling his name and turned starting off through the crowd heading over towards Quistis, Zell, and Squall…and Rinoa…. Ok fine, he didn't like Rinoa. Maybe that was part of the reason he hated Squall. He didn't know why but he couldn't stand that girl, and it always made him have a bad mood afterwards. Tsk…ah well.

TBC

And so Part one ends. It was a lot of description…I…think blinks But that's ok! Because part two is um…well…I don't know yet but it'll be there soon IF I get at least one review saying that someone at least liked it. blinks It's pointless writing for no one, ya know?


	2. FF Banding Together 2

Pairings: Irvine/Squall, Reno/Vincent? Seifer/Zell? Kiros/Laguna, the rest is unknown at the moment and the ones with question marks I'm still thinking on. blinks If you wanna give suggestions for yaoi pairings please do so. They're welcomed. And from that I'll see what I can do about it.

Warnings: yaoi, AU, slight moments of nose bleed, possibly major angst in later chapters, emotion stress, attitude, crossovers, possibly major flirtation action, stuff even I don't know about

Author's comments: Yay more. Thanks for the um Review. I shall follow that advice and just continued to write on this just because. Btw, soon to come, A Kiros/Laguna fic also an oneshot that's recently been stuck in my head.

Comments: things in italics lyrics or well, singing

Edited: I changed all camera scenes as well as some things to do with the band such as guitarist and lead singers and such.

things in bold what the character is thinking

FF Banding Together 2

Squall snorted slightly as he watched the cowboy walking towards them. Quistis stepped away from their group and started over towards him, the look and the movement of her body already a warning sign that Irvine was going to get chewed out. Lately the blond haired female was a little more agitated, stressed. This stunt wasn't exactly in her good mood list either. But he had to admit there was just something wrong with that guy. He couldn't hear what Irvine and Reno were talking about but he had a guess after Irvine's outburst about not being gay.

Like that's true.

Yeah, even Squall had noticed Irvine's eye for beauty, male or female. He tried to play it off, tried to say he was dedicated only to females, even slept with them as much as possible just for the hope that he would evade the question that was rumored around well…everywhere. Are you gay? Squall had seen the way he looked at Zell, had looked at himself, and had even looked at the long haired person that just had to be a male by the size of those narrow hips. And maybe that just added to reasons why Squall couldn't stand the man. He was a liar. He was lying to himself. Why didn't he just flat out admit to himself that he liked males as much as females? He acted like they were contagious devil spawns set on breaking hearts and broken promises. That itself was a definition of Irvine anyway. Squall had already admitted to himself that he liked males. But right now, where he was now, he was with a female. Yes, Squall was bi, and he knew it. Rinoa knew it too though she didn't like for him to bring it up. For some reason it upset her, but then again it upset a lot of people. Well…minus the mounds of females that liked setting him up with males. Yes he'd read the stories online once. Always Zell, always Irvine…sometimes a few of the other band members even. He didn't exactly like it…but they were still interesting stories to read…well minus the ones where he's killed off.

"What, is he in trouble again?" Zell joined up with Squall and Rinoa, white gloves now on his hands as he stretches his arms up above his head. He wore a lot of white as that what was in his contract, but to be honest he was just another human being…with a strange temptation for fighting. Before he had become a drummer he also had had dreams of being a boxer. Course they said his body just wasn't…muscular enough despite the fact that he was capable of beating up most of the other boxers. Actually Squall forgot the name they had called Zell when he was a boxer.

"Yeah, looks like it," Squall said looked over at him then back to where Irvine was tilting his head down to look at Quistis, a grin on his face that was pretty much a dead giveaway that he was trying to charm Quistis, a plan that never worked with the female. "He'll probably get grounded to his room again."

"Tsk, like he'd agree to that not to _mention_ actually do it." Zell looked over at Rinoa then smiled sheepishly as he rubbed behind his head. "I mean not that he's overly a bad guy. Sure, he's a pervert, a playboy, and a sleaze but he has his good points!"

"Oh yeah, like what?" Rinoa rested her hands on his hips tapping her foot on the ground as she waited for some explanation. Squall just shook his head resting a hand against his forehead tiredly.

Yeah, like she'll get an answer for that one.

Squall moved his hand away and frowned as he saw someone heading over towards their group.

Great….

"Well if it isn't the loser dorks," Seifer said as he stopped in front of them. Squall had only met the man once before and it wasn't on a good note either. However, Zell harbored more hate for him, having been teased by him before and for a long time running.

Didn't Seifer start a rumor on Zell?

Ok, it wasn't exactly a rumor. Yes Zell was…bi as well. Probably their whole band was. Was that a sign? But like himself, Zell admitted to it. He just didn't like it being a rumor behind his back…in which case on natural TV he actually yelled it out for all to hear. Maybe the good thing about it was that he didn't look the least bit upset about it, until he thought about Seifer taunting him then he growled and punched a fist against his hand.

"So, how many guys have you been sleeping with lately, hm?" Seifer snidely spoke as reached up brushing the lose pieces of hair out of his eyes.

Zell sneered at him, hands already clenched and ready for battle. "Yo, you keep saying that each time you see me! What, are you jealous or something?!"

"And why would I be jealous of a little wussy homo like you?"

"You take that back!" They might have been getting looks from the people closest to him, something that Squall didn't think was a good idea.

Zell, just let it rest, Squall thought to himself, smacking a hand against his forehead. It was enough they had to listen to Seifer's mouth, but to have further conflicts start because of it would be well…it wouldn't be good…and it'd mostly be pointless and…wait where did Irvine and Quistis go? Squall looked around in search for the 'not hard to miss' zebra like hat. He saw neither Irvine's hat nor the glare of Quistis's glasses and began to question where they were.

"I'm not taking jackshit back," Seifer said turning and starting to walk away from the SeeD group. "Come on. We have better things to do than to talk to these faggots."

"Ya, you think we have time to try some of those little cocktail weenies, ya know? I mean I've been smelling them since I came in here, ya?" Raijin's eyes were already looking in the direction of the snack table, stomach growling.

"MOVE." Fuijin turned, kicking him in the leg before she rushed off after Seifer who was already disappearing into the crowd.

"Ow! That hurt, ya know?!" However Raijin ran after them to join his group. To be honest, Squall didn't even want to think about what the small group was up to.

I don't even want to know what my group is up to. Yes, he was thinking about Irvine and Quistis's disappearance from them. It didn't exactly make any sense for them to be gone. Had she been there, the confrontation with Seifer probably wouldn't have even started. Was he waiting on her to leave so he could come mess with them?

"God, I hate that jerk," Zell said bending down and punching a hand against the floor in anger.

"Zell, calm down." Rinoa was trying to comfort him with her words. Squall knew…she did it for him all the time. Well…that and a little bit more…a word, a touch…a kiss…they always worked and got his mind off things. "Don't let that big meany get to you. You'll just be giving him what his wants."

"Yeah, you're right." Zell stood back up again, his blond hair wiggling on top of his head a bit before he flashed a big smile, giving Rinoa and Squall a thumbs up. "Right! Who needs that jerk when I've got my buddies at my side!"

Rinoa laughed softly, covering her mouth with the back of a hand. "I'm glad you're back to normal." She closed her eyes and gave a smile. It was enough to make Squall want to smile too, but he didn't. He wondered sometimes where he would be without her. And then sometimes he didn't want to think about it either.

"May I have everyone's attention please?" Squall shifted, his gaze being diverted over to a man on a miniaturized stage set off to one side of the room. Glancing back to the others of his group he started off getting close until he was able to see the man's features well. For some reason they just felt…familiar. The man had black hair that stopped just past his shoulders. He had an air about him that spoke…of…of…. "Will all band members please join me on the stage. Don't worry, I may be a big fan but I won't maul you like the others! Haha!"

God, he's an idiot.

Squall shook his head slightly, his arm being tugged on and he followed after Zell, giving a glance back at Rinoa. It wasn't shocked that she was staying there, she never went on stage with him. But that made sense. As he got up on the stage he saw Irvine and grunted a bit before heading in his direction. Where was he up till now? Grr…why did his disappearance make Squall…angry? As he and Zell stopped beside the cowboy dressed male, Squall's eyes looked off into the crowd instinctively. There were more people there than he had thought, and had wanted. Further back the gleam of lenses caught his attention and he knew then that cameras were watching them as well. If Irvine were smart…Zell as well…then they wouldn't do anything to jeopardize their chances at winning this tournament.

Who the hell came up with this tournament anyway?

"Here they are, folks, the three bands that have made it to the tournaments!" It was that man from earlier…god he was loud. "But first let's introduce the three judges that will be rating and moderating this competition of the bands. First off, is me of course, judge number one Laguna Loire."

"And I am judge number two, Kiros Seagill." The man, whom Squall hadn't even noticed before, was standing beside Laguna, long thin braids coming from his head. He was dressed comfortably in a button up shirt, in which the two top buttons weren't even done up. Towards the bottom he wore pants that….

Seagill…? Why not just call yourself a bird.

Still, the man was attractive even with the last name. Finally Squall's eyes left him moving to the third person standing beside Kiros. The aura around this one didn't exactly speak 'I love to talk so come visit me.' Either way, without even knowing the guy he found himself already disliking him. Forget the fact that he was probably just as attractive as the rest of them and also forget the fact that his hair was long and whitish gray and and…was Irvine ogling him?!

Squall snorted elbowing Irvine roughly in the side just as the man spoke. "And I am judge number three, Sephiroth. Greetings." The man bowed slightly, his deep voice and spoken words blocking out any cuss Irvine had said. From the angle they were at, which was directly behind the three judges, they could not see their faces. A look to the left showed one band and to the right another. And neither band looked at all too friendly or happy to be there.

"And now let us bring forth the three bands competing here this week!" Laguna laughed as the three judges broke off head each towards a particular band. Squall actually gave a sigh of relief as Laguna picked the band on the right of them. Sephiroth went to the left, and Kiros stopped in front of them. Each of them had pieces of papers in their hands, a fact that Squall knew once he'd seen Kiros stop before them.

"Who is the singer of this group?" Kiros said looking between the three of them curiously. Ah at least he was nice…and Irvine was ogling again.

Damn him….

With another elbow to the side, harder than the last time, Irvine yelped slightly but tried to play it off by grinning and lifting his hand to tilt his hat down. If one didn't know better they'd think he was flirting with the guy. Yeah, not Mr. 'I'm straight as an arrow.'

Do I even fucking believe that….

"Irvine Kinneas is the name," Irvine said holding his hand out. "I'm the singer but I'm sure you knew this considering how famous we are."

"Ah yes, what was I thinking," Kiros said with a little amused smile. "Anyway, this is the sheet music that was prepared just for your band. You'll be playing it on the last day. I hope this isn't too much of a rush for you."

"Nah, it's cool. We wouldn't be professionals if we didn't know how to play under pressure."

So you say.

"Then I wish you luck in the competition. May Eden guide you to victory," Kiros smiled to him turning away from them as he looked over towards Laguna and gave a nod. Laguna nodded back and smiled big heading towards the middle of the stage just as the other two judges where and…shit Irvine's ogling again.

Squall contented himself with clenching his hands at his sides. Oh he'd pay for it later…and why did it matter to him anyway on why Irvine was doing this? Of course, it's so they don't destroy their image. Yeah.

"Just now we've given each of the three famous bands a piece of music they will be playing at the Bahamut competition! The rules go as followed, they will play two pieces on the last night of the week, meaning six times the fun! The songs they will be playing a.) one song we have provided especially for each band, and b.) a song that each band has been secretly working on for a while now. So we'll have quite a bit of entertainment this competition!" Laguna looked over at Kiros, a sign that he was to take over now.

"So now, let's get a few words from the bands themselves. First we have **_The Posse_** made up of three members and, shockingly out of all our groups here, the only band with a female in it. Please welcome Seifer, Raijin, and Fujin. Seifer is the bandleader and bass guitarist, b and the lead singer of the group. Raijin is a drummer known most for his kind heart, and Fujin the ultimate female guitar player and a backup singer to boot that is just too hot for words. Their manager is Edea, a female that once was the owner of an orphanage until a fire had burned it down and changed her life." Kiros held the mike out to them, careful not to be in the way of the camera shot too much. "Tell me, do you have any words for your fans?"

Seifer was the one to grab the mike, pulling it closer as he spoke into it. "First all, I don't care what you say, I won't lose to these wimpy all boy bands. A female has the grace, and the men have the bronze." A smirk lifted to his lips as he glanced over towards Zell making the next words he spoke especially for him. "And we aren't going to lose to a band that's focused on guys trying to dress and act feminine." Fans in the crowd cheered loudly for Seifer, some whistling along with females screaming 'I love you, Seifer.'

"Why that-" Zell almost rushed off after Seifer but Squall had to quickly grab his arm holding it tight.

"Calm down, Zell. This isn't the time or the place." Yes, Squall didn't like Seifer any more than Zell did, but to fight now would be…well a disaster for one thing. And it could possibly end their career. Then again, people did seem to like to watch fights.

"Tsk. Asshole." But Zell finally calmed down, folding his arms over his chest and refusing to look in the direction of **_The Posse._**

"Here," Sephiroth said moving in their direction, "is the next band, SeeD. They are a barely new band that has…just recently become famous and quite quickly as well." Folding his arms over his chest, Sephiroth closed his eyes, speaking as though he could care less about any of this. But it was for the fans, and people liked to hear the bands being talked about…whatever. Squall could understand this way of thinking. "Here we have Irvine Kinneas the flamboyant vocalist for the group, a bass guitarist and a dedicated lady's lover."

………

"We also have Zell, their peppy drummer and backup singing and Squall, the brooding but sexy guitarist who is the newest member of the band. They're manager is Quistis Trepe, a lady who has been working hard to make this band successful." They must have memorized their lines or something.

Brooding?…Can't these guys be more original? Shiva, why do I care?

Squall rolled his eyes slightly starting to pay less and less attention to the man…until he once again noticed Irvine's eyes on the man. Shit, what was it with Irvine and the judges? And why was it Squall felt himself getting angry from Irvine's need to ogle males that were well…for one thing had higher authority than he did. Squall wondered if he ever got such intense looks as them. He knew Irvine looked at him but…he wasn't sure…and…shit why was he thinking about this and now of all times? "So if you have any words for the fans, speak them now."

The microphone was held out and Irvine gladly took it, a big sexy grin on his face as he did the patent move of tipping his hat down over his eyes seductively.

"Well I know just how much the ladies want to meet with me," Irvine said slyly as he winked at the cameras. "So I'll see what I can do. In the mean time, I'll be winning this competition! And if I win, I'll take one lucky girl on a date with me." Irvine chuckled slightly as the female fans cheered madly at the thought of that. Squall only smacked himself on the head.

Great…now he'll be ogling even more women as well.

"And now," Laguna said finally returning attention back to himself, "for the final band." As he started towards the left of the stage, he reached up brushing his hair out of his eyes, and as a result of that almost tripped over the cord to the microphone before he caught his balance. "Ah, sorry about that, folks." He stopped in front of the band and turned around raising a hand in the air. "And here, we have the six year running Bahamut champions! Known for their extreme popularity, I think it will be quite the challenge for the others to keep up this year as well. Still we've never had such an intense competition and dedication." He moved the hand in the air waving it around before he gestured towards the band. "Please welcome, Chaos Materia!" Before he could even continue, fans were screaming and yelling out loudly clapping for them.

It took a while for them to calm down, as Squall heard Irvine cussing under his breath. Yeah, they were going to have a hard time against them. People say they were still the most popular band in all of Gaia. So…it was up to them to change that. SeeD needed to win. Squall especially needed to win…for personal reasons. "In this band, we have Reno, the team's vocalist and guitarist as well. There is bass guitarist Cloud, who's not named for his pointy personality so to say," Laguna rubbed behind his head at the corny joke, laughing sheepishly before he continued.

Moron….

"Ah…anyway we also have Rufus of Shinra playing as drummer, who had dropped the work of following in his father's footsteps to become part of an all boy band. Possibly the most recent in this group is a man by the name of Vincent Valentine. He is the dancer for the group and has becoming quite the popular one himself though he's only been seen once in action. Sadly I haven't seen it with my very own eyes. The manager for Chaos Materia is Cid Highwind, a man who spends too much time creating and coaching."

"So," He pushed the microphone out towards them with a smile. "Any words for your adoring fans?"

Reno stepped forward taking the microphone, his hair waving back and forth slightly in the air with even the slightest of his movements. "I just want to say, that there is no need to worry. We will win this competition with ease." He laughed slightly and gave thumbs up towards the audience causing them to go wild. "We'll see this through without a hitch."

"Alright, so let's get this started!" Laguna pointed at the camera. "We'll keep the audience up to date on the progress of the bands. Until then, prepare for the games er…band battle and good luck!"

TBC…

Part two!! And I'm so sleepy. gah! I just keep dozing!! Anyway now that introductions are out of the way, we can focus on the more than fun teasing the charries and splitting up finding others making out in closets and spying. Yay!


	3. FF Banding Together 3

Pairings: Irvine/Squall, Reno/Vincent? Seifer/Zell? Kiros/Laguna, the rest is unknown at the moment and the ones with question marks I'm still thinking on. blinks If you wanna give suggestions for yaoi pairings please do so. They're welcomed. And from that I'll see what I can do about it.

Warnings: yaoi, AU, slight moments of nose bleed, possibly major angst in later chapters, emotion stress, attitude, crossovers, possibly major flirtation action, stuff even I don't know about

Author's comments:

Comments: things in italics lyrics or well, singing

things in bold what the character is thinking

Edited: Um….eh…it was edited? ::blinks::

FF Banding Together 3

"What the fuck is your problem?!" That was Irvine, staring heatedly at the guitar player for the band, his hat held in his hands, looking on the verge of being crumpled under his tight grip if he didn't get a hold on himself.

"I don't _have_ a problem aside from your ignorance and your stupid libido. You can't stop looking at a single person for ONE moment!" And that was Squall Leonhart, pissed beyond belief. Or at least the most pissed off Zell had ever seen him. Was it possible for the normally indifference male to be angry? Not that Zell wasn't angry himself. However his anger was for a different cause…he was angry with Seifer still…. Why, oh WHY did that man always had to pick fun at him?!

Man, if they'd just allow me one swing at him, I'd knock him out!

Yeah, he was still that pissed. He wanted to just beat the guy until he couldn't move anymore then just beat him some more just for the hell of it. And it wasn't like he CHOSE to wear these clothes! It was in his contract! Zell growled and punched one hand against the other. To be honest they were lucky that Quistis wasn't here or else they'd be getting yelled at quite a lot. She was really, the only one that kept any form of order between them.

"Guys, be careful. There are still a lot of people wondering around that would love to use this against you," Rinoa said, already clinging onto Squall's arm to support him.

A flash of something came through Irvine's eyes and he sniffed turning his eyes away. "Whatever." Heh, that was a Squall line, wasn't it? But Zell was getting the idea of what must have been happening. Though they wouldn't admit it to each other, Irvine and Squall had a thing for each other. And because they didn't want to admit it, they did the best thing they could, pushed each other away by any means possible. Mostly that was angry words and insults. But…even now Irvine was looking at Squall, Zell could see it in his eyes. He could also see the jealousy playing around there at the sight of Rinoa. Normally Irvine was just a little bit calmed down when she wasn't there. Who knew Irvine could be jealous, not to mention gay…or bi at the least?

As for Squall, he just didn't like Irvine running around sleeping with everyone else. But he never put into consideration why he did it…ok maybe there was no real answer for that. But with Rinoa holding on like that, there was no chance of Irvine even trying to break in which meant, Zell had to do some planning. Now if he could just figure out a way to make it so that Irvine and Squall had a chance alone…behind closed and locked doors….

"Hey Zell, you listening?" Zell shook his head quickly at the voices and looked up curiously. Irvine was talking to him now. "I said did you wanna go get something to eat or are you just going to go sit in your room or something?"

"Huh? Hey yeah some food would be great! But let's check out this place first." Yeah, he was hungry, starved really. But he wanted to look around too because this was the first time he'd been in a hotel so huge! And…and he was also…well he just didn't want to run into that bastard Seifer. He smiled as Irvine placed an arm on his shoulder then frowned watching Squall turning and walking away. "Aren't you going to join us, Squall?"

Squall stopped where he was, looking over his shoulder at Irvine then at him before he shook his head. "Why do I care? I don't plan to stay here or to live here once this is done."

"Aww come on, it'll be fun," Rinoa said pulling on Squall's arm. "Besides we might find something interesting to see and play on…." There was a suggestion of something else there and it was enough to make Squall turn around, though reluctantly. Zell could feel Irvine stiffening beside him and grabbed his hand quickly trying to pull him out of that state. When he got like that, it was hard to get him to do anything. "Hey come on, maybe they have a pool somewhere around here!"

* * *

Irvine didn't like the feelings that were coursing through his body but he smiled as Zell pulled him along on down the hallway back towards where they had come in. Leave it to Zell to have the energy to give anyone a cause to feel good. In fact Irvine was already forgetting the bad feeling that tried to take him over. The pool…wait it would have been a good idea to have gotten some trunks before just going like that. But the thoughts of meeting that black haired angel…if he were lucky maybe he would be there at the pool. But why did he care to see him so much? And why did he call him an angel? That one girl was cute too though…what was her name? Fujin? Maybe he'd fuck her.

Zell tugged again. "I think there's supposed to be two kinds. An indoor one and an outdoor one," he said glancing back at Irvine then past him to Rinoa and Squall. "The outdoor one is probably prettier but the indoor one is cleaner we hope. So which will it be? I vote for indoors!"

"I vote for outdoors," Rinoa said raising a hand. "I'm really curious on how the city looks, maybe we'll see some pretty birds."

Irvine shook his head at that. "That's just not very smart, Rinoa. I'm going to have to go with Zell on this one. I don't want to end up swimming through bird poop."

"Who said we were going to swim anyway," Squall said glaring daggers at Irvine. "I'm voting for outdoors…just because everything you pick always turns out to be stupid."

"Why you fuck-"

"Hey hey!" Zell quickly held up his hands to dispel the conflict he could feel heating up between them. "There's no need to fight over this. How about we go to the outdoor one first for a little while then go to the indoor one before we start looking around again." He smiled as he got no complaints from that then once more grabbed Irvine's hand and started tugging him towards the elevator. "Then it's settled." Irvine huffed but he didn't fight anymore, watching as Zell pushed the button. He wondered if there were a jucuzzi here too. And maybe some beautiful women that wanted a night out with him. He didn't tell the others that Quistis didn't want him out of his room. In fact he had completely forgotten and ignored it anyway. Who was she to think she could control his life? Gods, she acted like she was his mother sometimes. Not that he knew his mother after all.

As the doors opened to the elevator the small group stepped inside and Zell once more took the honor of pressing the button. Number 25, that was the number of floors this building had. Still, he wondered where the other band members were supposed to stay at in this hotel. Oh man this leather was tight! Maybe he should have changed before agreeing to this. But well…Zell could be cute sometimes…when he wanted to be…when he wasn't trying to beat the crap out of someone…ok that wasn't often unless you made him reaaaaaaaaaaaally mad. The elevator stopped somewhere on floor 18 and the doors opened. Irvine had to quickly clamp his mouth shut at the person he saw step inside. It was Reno that smug bastard. But he wasn't alone, he seemed he managed to get at least two more of his members out of the room.

"Well fancy meeting you here like this," Reno said, his eyes watching Irvine making the cowboy have to hide his glare. Instead he just let his eyes wonder to the other two. As expected he didn't see the black haired male, only the other two, Cloud the guitarist and Rufus the drummer. This didn't shock him oddly but he was just a little disappointed. He'd never seen someone so beautiful. Someone so beautiful AND a male! It was like he had to prove it to himself by seeing him again. However…the elevator door closed and started moving again on its track up.

"Yeah…who'd have thought?" Irvine said pulling his grip from Zell's hand. This was actually the last male he wanted to see, especially after being hit on. Sure, the guy was hot…but there was something about him, something he just didn't like.

"Must be the fates conspiring to bring us together," Reno started again as he glanced to his two band mates before looking at Irvine again. Had Irvine looked to the side he would have seen Squall glaring at the red head standing across from the cowboy dressed male as well. There was a tension in the elevator and it was making Irvine uncomfortable and in need of breath.

Suddenly the elevator stopped and, thankfully, the door opened to the 25 floor where the members of SeeD stepped out followed shortly by the Chaos Materia group. As the rest of his group kept walking Irvine stopped and frowned looking to the other band group, which was now starting off in the other direction. "It was fancy meeting you again, but we have to go," Reno said winking at Irvine quickly before walking off again. "We'll meet again and talk later."

Irvine just shook his head trying to just let it go as he turned around to walk the other way. The ballrooms were the other way, and that was where the practices were to take place. So…the pool was in the direction of his group. Zell was waiting on him as he caught up and he started to walk beside him, staying silent. He didn't want to talk about it, not one bit. Squall was looking at him too, a strange look to his face that caused Irvine to scowl and glare at the lot of them.

"Would you just stop with the looks?! There's nothing going on, alright!" He didn't even wait for a response, shoving his hands into his pockets as best he could as he pushed past them heading towards the pool. His mind was in a state of confusion. His body…was shockingly in a state of arouse. The red haired Materia member was as good as he was with flirting, with just being magical. And Irvine just…wasn't comfortable with it he guessed. He'd always told himself he was straight…but lately, lately he'd been having other thoughts. He'd have dreams that where normally it was a female, it was a male now. And what was bad was that…he liked it. He didn't want admit it but he liked that feeling and …it was so wrong! His image, the whole thing that made him, was his being with women. What would that do to his reputation if the entire world knew he was into guys too? He'd be a laughingstock, he'd be criticized. But that didn't stop Zell…no people still loved him to death. But that wasn't the same, he wasn't Zell. Zell was cute…but Irvine was…as some women said in the past, a Greek god. He had a way with making any girl's heart pound with need.

He stopped as he went through the glass doors, and all his thoughts ceased in that instant. The sky…it was a beautiful sky, so clear yet filled with clouds that even now were making faces at him. A few birds let out a cry as they flew overhead, the sun peaking out past a cloud before going into hiding again. The breeze felt good too as well as the sound of someone in the pool. That was what had stopped him. His dark angel…was there. If he remembered right, the name was Vincent. He was a dancer…and Irvine could see why as well.

Vincent didn't seem to notice anyone there at the moment, his hand held up at the sky, limber fingers pointing out as a small bird moved, landing on it. The site was beautiful, seeing the man tame such creatures and Irvine almost could imagine seeing wings behind his back. His hair was wet as well, a sign that he had been inside the water at one point or another. Right now though he was standing at the center of the pool, the water around his waist as the bird stood on his fingers. What was odd, and disappointing to Irvine, was the fact that he had no trunks on. Instead he had something that reminded him of a wet suit, which was tight against him as well either way. Was he afraid of the light? No he was out here…afraid of tanning? Possibly…this was the coolest part of the day, so the sun's intensity wasn't even enough to do anything but light up the sky.

As Zell came out the door behind him, the bird flew off, the atmosphere broken by the intrusion. Vincent looked over, a small little glance before he moved through the water to the side, starting out of the pool at the steps. His hair floated behind him, so long, so dark. Irvine wanted to touch it…. Suddenly there was someone else behind him and Irvine turned around coming face to face with Squall. He could feel his breath being taken away there as well, staring into those striking blue eyes that just seemed to speak so many foreign words to him that Irvine quickly had to look away. His breathing was coming a little fast as he tried to control his urges and moved, walking towards the railing.

He could feel eyes on him, knew he was being watched and questioned but he wouldn't turn around, not just yet. He had just been faced with so many questions. He had just witness so much that he wasn't ready for yet. Now he just needed time to confront them. Maybe…he could talk to Zell about this…. He felt a hand on his shoulder and let down his guard starting to tremble slightly.

"Zell…gods I'm confused, what's wrong with me?!" He clutched at his head for a moment before he felt the other sit down beside him. However, a glance over showed a shocker. It was that dark angel again. A glance back showed the others sitting at the poolside talking, worrying probably. Mostly Zell was doing his best to keep everyone cheered up but he knew they were all watching. Then why was Squall staring so intently at him? He'd never seen him like this….

"Whatever it is, you should probably let it go," Vincent said resting his arms on the railing in front of him and placing his chin on his arms. Irvine admitted to himself again that he was a beautiful man, a male that sparked such…naughty perverted thoughts into his mind. It wasn't the same as Squall but it did give him thought and he really could not turn away from him.

"It's not that easy," Irvine chuckled lightly and turned his eyes back out to the sky, the city laid out below them so close yet so far. If he looked hard enough he could see the stadium where their performance would be held. Wow, one of his opponents was talking to him. Was that a good sign? "You know, when you believe something for so long and then you find out it could be false…it's surreal…" He had to force himself not to look over, to stare at him. This had been his fascination since coming here after all.

"It is…." Vincent started to his feet then, pushing from out of the chair. "When you are left with a choice you are forced to choose one or the other. Both, of course, will decide your fate. You can choose either the easy way out…or the hard way out…. But I speak from experience," Vincent said glancing at him, red eyes shining with a purpose and a sadness. "picking the easiest…will always leave you unfulfilled…and unhappy…." He turned away then, starting off towards the glass doors and leaving Irvine staring again, at the sway of hips, the smallness of a body that obviously held so much power. What could he possibly mean? "Your decision, your life, your choice. Choose wisely," Vincent said with a glance over his shoulder. He was gone right after, back out the doors leaving Irvine wondering what the chances were that he'd met him.

Heh, I'm getting advice from another band member. Who'd a thought….

* * *

Squall frowned. He didn't like that one. He didn't like that black haired male. He didn't know why, maybe it was the way Irvine was constantly staring at him. But then why did Squall care at all? Besides, he had his girlfriend right beside him. He just barely gave thought to Zell talking on the other side of him, barely gave thought to Rinoa hugging on his arm. No, his eyes were on Irvine. Why? He wasn't even sure why, but he couldn't look away. He felt…disappointed…angry…pissed…annoyed…he couldn't even begin to finish off the list. Either way it made him wish he had followed through with his first decision not to come here.

He stood up from the side of the pool, and walked over starting to put his boots back on. He felt the need to be alone, without Rinoa even. Problem was he didn't know where to go, he didn't really know this place yet. He felt eyes on him as he started away and instantly Rinoa was at his side, squeezing his arm.

"Squall, what's wrong?"

Squall shook his head at first, looking at her…she could normally cheer him up, why wasn't it working? He rested a hand on hers and squeezed slightly before he pushed it away. "Nothing…just need to think…alone."

"Oh well…ok…." She bit at her lips looking away sadly and it made Squall almost hug her, almost try to comfort her but he forced it away and moved quickly walking from the pool area. He could feel her eyes on him but he couldn't help it. Right then, watching Irvine talking to Vincent, watching those eyes on Vincent…so mystified he couldn't take it. It was worse than when the other was looking at the judges. And then there was anger again. How could he be looking at others like that?! But then it wasn't like he belonged to Squall or anything. But…he had to admit that Vincent was beautiful…maybe he was just jealous of that…no Squall did _not_ get jealous.

Whatever…

He just kept walking shoving his hands into his pockets and leaning forward some, sulking. Not that he'd admit it to himself. No he was just mad that Irvine would still go around flirting shamelessly. And…did this mean he was admitting to being bi or gay finally? He wasn't sure. He didn't know if he wanted to be sure. Squall…was just lost in a confused haze.

TBC….

Ah I woulda continued this chapter but my brain was fried and I started to get lazy and I didn't want it to start getting weird so I figured I'd start again on the next one. More to come soon. We'll see how Irvine's doing…well we'll see how they're all done. Meet more band members, more conflicts…and more fun stuff! Suggestions for pairings aside from Irvine, Squall, Kiros, and Laguna welcomed!


	4. FF Banding Together 4

Pairings: Irvine/Squall, Reno/Vincent? Seifer/Zell? Kiros/Laguna, Cloud/Zell/Sephiroth? The rest is unknown at the moment and the ones with question marks I'm still thinking on. blinks If you wanna give suggestions for yaoi pairings please do so. They're welcomed. And from that I'll see what I can do about it.

Warnings: yaoi, AU, slight moments of nose bleed, possibly major angst in later chapters, emotion stress, attitude, crossovers, possibly major flirtation action, stuff even I don't know about

Author's comments: oh damn I forgot my comments last time. Oh well. School's starting again. And…and…I'm working on another FF fic. A FF7 one but I don't know if it's going so well. It feels kinda dorky. I guess I'll find out then though ne? Anyways, college started again. ::mumbles:: So yeah…we'll see how things go with the story typing. It all depends on how much work I have to do for my classes. Until then um…more FF!

Comments: things in italics lyrics or well, singing

things in bold what the character is thinking

Edited: The changes still occur ::blinks::.

FF Banding Together 4

"Hey…Kiros?" At the sound of his name, Kiros looked up from where he was reading the newspaper on the small bed he claimed as his own. He wouldn't exactly call it a comfortable bed but for the location they were in, it was perfect. The man who called his name had to be Laguna. He was the only other in the room with him at the moment so who else would it be? Dividing his attention between the newspaper and Laguna, he finally returned his attention back to the paper before answering.

"Yes? Is something wrong?"

"Well…" Laguna rubbed behind his head slightly. It was enough to cause Kiros to look up at him again, a small smile lifting to his lips. The man was cute despite his lack of common sense sometimes. But to be honest Kiros was worried. Ever since the party, Laguna just seemed…more tense. Something was bugging him and Kiros didn't know what, not yet. He was waiting for Laguna to tell him, but that seemed like it wasn't going to happen, not with Laguna bouncing around the topics.

"Something's been bothering you ever since you got back from that party in the lounge," Kiros stated, sitting the newspaper down beside him. "And you know it's not doing you any good to hold on to it so just tell me and get it off your chest." Though honestly it wasn't only Laguna that was feeling a bit weirded out. Well maybe he wouldn't take it so far as that but….

That child…his personality is different but up close he looks like….

Kiros shook the thought away, his eyes returning to the pacing Laguna who was walking back and forth in front of his bed, arms folded over his chest in thought. Gods, he was still cute when he did that. Finally Laguna started to wind down and flopped down on the end of Kiros's bed, looking up at him before giving him a smile.

"Sorry, I was thinking…well…you remember that kid? The rude looking one with the scar across his face?"

"He seems familiar, doesn't he?" Kiros finished, standing to his feet. He started walking, moving until he was behind Laguna before he rested his hands on the other's shoulders rubbing slightly. Laguna was tense. He was more bothered by this than Kiros had expected.

"Huh? Yeah actually, I can't quite put my finger on it but he…reminds me of someone." As Kiros started to put more strength into his little massaging, Laguna's eyes slipped close, a small sound slipping from between his lips. He was enjoying this. Kiros was too considering. Yes they were lovers…but problem was no one was allowed to know this. If anyone found out well…they might just be kicked out and their votes disqualified. They felt that because two lovers were judges, they would completely agree no matter how good or bad a band was. To be honest, terrible bands never made it to this place but that didn't change what was stated in the rules.

Laguna didn't come to visit him often, at least not while they were here but today, this time he must have felt an urgent need to speak with Kiros. It might have been better out where people would see them and no one would question, but then again, that could probably just make it much worse than it really was.

"He looks a little like you in my opinion," Kiros stated, sliding up onto the bed behind him and hugging him from behind. He rested his chin on Laguna's shoulder, hiding a smile as he saw the other's cheeks light up in a blush. What would he do without the man?

"Ah…y-you really think so?" Laguna squirmed slightly on the bed before he started to relax back against Kiros, his heart beat getting faster from what Kiros could tell. They were lovers, but Laguna could still be pretty shy at times.

"Yes. He has your eyes…he probably has your smile too." Kiros lifted his head a bit and nibbled on Laguna's ear, his hands moving lower, sliding over the other's chest then actually going underneath the shirt moving over the smooth yet muscular skin. "You should talk to him when you get the chance…maybe you'll find out something about him," he whispered into Laguna's ear before flicking his tongue out.

A soft moan slipped from Laguna's lips as he shivered sliding his tongue out to lick his nervous lips. "I-I'll think about it. Oh Eden you're killing me, Kiros," he groaned as Kiros brushed his fingers over his nipples teasingly.

"And we wouldn't want that now would we?" Kiros nibbled on his neck, tickling it with his teeth. Laguna didn't say he agreed to do it, but right now that wasn't on Kiros's mind. Right now…he wanted a little bit of action. It'd been about a week's trip since the last time he'd had some fun with Laguna. And now, he was about to make up for lost time.

* * *

"Shit, Cloud, that's the fourth bad note you've played!" Reno was not happy. But Cloud didn't care. He just barely gave him a glare before turning his attention to the sheet of music in front of him. To be honest, he wasn't really focusing. He didn't know why but he just couldn't do this. It wasn't the music, it was fairly easy and he knew that playing it a couple of times through would make him completely learn it. But…well something was on his mind and he couldn't quite put a finger on it. It was an unfamiliar feeling to him…one he couldn't place a name to.

"It's not as though he isn't trying," Rufus said, tilting his head back to flick the pieces of hair dangling in his eyes out of the way. He was actually sort of relaxed today, not that Cloud was complaining. Rufus could be just as rude as the rest of them as he's sitting there in his lacey blue shirt, the ruffled sleeves stopping just at his elbows. He was getting frustrated too though more at Reno than at Cloud. "You're just upset because your fuck toy isn't here," he said snorting slightly before he tapped his drumsticks against one of the symbols slightly.

"God damn it!" Reno said before giving a sigh, resting a hand up on his forehead as though he were completely stressed out. "Ok, everyone take five then. Cloud, since you're sucking big time, why don't you go find Vincent and bring him here. He should have been here by now." Anyone looking at Reno would know he wasn't in the least bit happy. Not that Cloud cared. He was curious about their manager's whereabouts. For all he knew, Cid was probably out smoking or something. It was only in Cid's absence that Reno became leader. And it was during that time that Cloud really couldn't stand being around the others. Rufus was ok…when he wasn't acting like he knew everything. However, Reno just became obsessed like he owned the world. And then he became whiny when things didn't go his way. It made Cloud wonder why he was a part of this band sometimes. But he wasn't the only to suffer at least. Vincent had to go through this daily.

By now everyone knew that Vincent was rooming in Reno's room. Course, Reno was nothing more than a bastard that was using Vincent. And why didn't Vincent just right him back?! Shit, calm down…. Cloud just shook his head for a moment before he turned walking off out of the ballroom. In his opinion it was the worst place to practice. But his guess was that the hotel hadn't fully prepared everything and so they did it this way. Or maybe going outside the hotel at all was dangerous considering all the fans outside. It was like they were camping in the streets…some of them anyway.

But aside from that Cloud was sort of glad he came, he was seeing new faces…but two were actually sticking in his mind and he wasn't sure why. The boy with the tattoo on one side of his face…and…sadly one of the judges. They weren't things he cared about, not normally anyway. But they would flash in front of his eyes, be imprinted in his vision. It was actually desirable to him. He didn't think himself capable of having feelings like these, especially after what had happened with Tifa. The break up…to be honest it didn't hurt at all. Guess that meant he really didn't feel a thing for the girl….

Cloud was gay. He knew he was gay. And that could be part of the reason for why he was in this band. Dressed in black belted leather and a heavy leather jacket that he left open, he was by most people's words, to die for. And, to admit to the truth, he knew he looked good. That didn't mean he really cared though. With his hands swinging at his sides, he started down the hallway, trying to think of where he should begin first. Vincent liked places that were secluded, where he wouldn't be found easily. He didn't like sunlight much, said night was the most beautiful time. Cloud agreed with that though. The night stars, the shine of the moon. It was nighttime now actually….

Meaning he'll probably be outside somewhere.

Or at least, in a place he could see the sky from. As he was walking, he saw someone else appearing out the door at the far end. That's right, another group had come up here recently. He didn't stop walking though as he headed to the elevator, pressing the button and waiting. As the stranger stopped beside him, Cloud glanced over out of habit before looking back to the elevator, waiting. The bing of the elevator's arrival sounded and as the doors opened. Cloud stepped in along with the other male.

As he stepped over to the keypad he pushed the button 18 deciding he should go by Vincent's room. With a finger still raised, he lifted a brow and looked over at Squall, the other man looking at him before mumbling, "Floor 1." By the looks of him, he was upset about something. If Squall's band was anything like Cloud's, it probably had to do with the other members. But it wasn't any of his business so he pushed the button then folded his arms, closing his eyes as he waited. He actually counted the beeps as they went down. It helped to keep his mind off some things.

22…21…20…19….

As the doors open and the bell ringed, Cloud looked over giving Squall a small nod before stepping out and starting down the hallway. Maybe if he were right, Vincent was in his room…his and Reno's room. Sometimes Cloud wondered why Vincent put up with it. What was his reason? Sadly, even though he and even Rufus were all a part of this band, no one knew Vincent's reasoning for joining. It must have had to do with Reno considering the boy had quickly contained most of his sexual energy and need to flirt as soon as Vincent had arrived…no that was a lie. Wasn't he after that guy? The one with the hat? Shit, if they weren't careful…this could become complicated.

As if that weren't enough, Cloud heard the sound of boots walking in his direction and shook himself from his thoughts to look up. People always did say weird things happened at bad times…this time it just had to be outrageous. Cloud almost stopped, almost turned back, but his pride got the better of him and he kept walking, moving one leg past the other, his arms matching his stride which probably meant his hips were shifting from side to side. It wasn't as though he meant it, that was just how he walked.

As Sephiroth was coming closer, Cloud swallowed slightly blinking his eyes, feeling time slowing down. The other was closer…closer still. His heart started to beat just a little faster and he had to force himself to calm down. He wasn't like this, this wasn't like him at all. He was normally so calm…maybe that's why his music was thrown off by the beat. Sephiroth didn't seem the type to be into guys anyway. He just seemed…distant…wicked, like there was a darkness around him. Maybe that's why Cloud was attracted to him, he was drawn by that badness. Guess he was into bad boy types after all. And somehow…Sephiroth just seemed that badness…not that he was all that innocent himself, having been a biker part of his life. How he found himself to being a guitarist from that? That was a long story within itself.

As he passed by Sephiroth, his fingers flexing slightly, he felt something being slipped into his hand and instinctively he grabbed at it, holding it tightly. It was all done so quickly, in that small second. So fast then it was gone. Neither had stopped walking, in fact Cloud didn't trust himself to stop just yet. He waited until he was in front of his room, glancing down the hallway at Sephiroth's back before he turned back to his door using the key to open it. A small detour, but he needed to know what it was he received. As he pushed the door open he slipped inside then closed it behind him. Elbowing the light switch, he looked down into his hands seeing the neatly folded piece of paper. Nice and neat…that seemed like Sephiroth somehow.

With contained enthusiasm, he unfolded the paper then mentally read the note to himself.

Tonight, One o' clock, meet me down in the garden on the first floor.

That was it…all the time and that was all it said. But it left Cloud feeling curious. He tossed the note onto the bed. He needed a bit more time to think on this…first he needed to find Vincent. He wasn't sure if Vincent even knew his dance steps or not but he had to find him before Reno fussed even more and they never got any work done. As he walked though his eyes were glazed over as he headed for Reno's room, hoping that Vincent was there.

* * *

"This is all your fault, Irvine!" Rinoa said, her hand slapping him across the face again for what must have been the third time now. And it was starting to piss him off. Shit, this woman was just some insane bitch that he just wished would fall over and die right now!

"How is it my fault?!" It was his only counter. Just because Squall left without her, she felt the need to blame him.

Hell, it's not like I told him to leave.

He probably left because of her persistence. The guy was a loner by nature, what did she expect?! Man if he wasn't such a proper gentleman, wam! She'd be feeling pain right about now. Still he wasn't as mad as he could be…maybe that little talk earlier was still having effect on him.

"He left because of you and that…that thing!" And she actually had the nerve to glare at him! Like he was the reason for all her troubles! Where's a gun when you need one?!

"That 'thing' happens to have a name. And I'd advice you to call him by it." Irvine rubbed at his cheek. Shit, Quistis was bound to notice the bruises. But then again he could always blame it on Rinoa, after all it was her fault his beautiful face would have said bruises. Tsk…it'd be worth it though to see Rinoa get chewed out. "And just how the hell is it Vincent's and my fault?! It's not like we told him to throw a hissy fit and leave!" Rinoa folded her arms over her chest and looked away towards the door Squall had went out of.

It almost made Irvine feel sorry for her, almost. He still had too much hate for her, hate he couldn't even begin to name. But for some reason when she hanged on Squall like that…he just felt a spurt of malice. That could explain his feeling of smugness at the moment. But that also made him worried. Squall was alone…what if that band freak got to him?

Zell finally spoke, doing his best to break the argument up. "Hey, you two, cool it! This isn't the place to be doing this." He stuck a finger into his ear, twisting it around slightly before he spoke again. "I think we should probably be looking for Squall right now and see what's really wrong instead of making assumptions, right?"

Irvine actually had to smile at that. Good ole Zell, he really could think when he felt like it. But sometimes Irvine felt like the other was holding out on something, not telling him a particular secret. And…well…damn it he wanted to know! He never missed the chance on finding out something juicy.

"Ok ok fine," Rinoa said blowing some of her bangs out of her face. "We'll put this on old for now." She sent a glare Irvine's way before turning and heading towards the door. "There are 25 floors, right? I'll take floors 18 through 25."

Zell punched a fist against his hand grinning as he started hopping around like this was a damn Easter Egg hunt. "I'll check out floors 17 through 10."

"Hey wait, that leaves me with one more floor than you guys!" Rinoa just rolled her eyes and Zell snickered before Irvine just sighed and tipped his hat down over his eyes. "Fine fine. I'll check the rest of them. I mean it's not like I care, he's still an insensitive jerk with bad hair and a stick up his ass."

"That's my boyfriend you're talking about!" Rinoa yelled turning and resting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah whatever." Irvine waved it away before he moved walking past them with a yawn. "Let's go find lover boy before I end up falling asleep on my feet."

TBC…

Ooooooh how I wanted to do a detailed sex scene for Kiros and Laguna. But dun like it and I prefer not to have another run in with them. ::smiles sheepishly:: And that was for a mild problem. ::shrugs:: Anyways. Chapter 4 is done. I guess I went a little away from what I had said about not going too into the other characters…. But it's just too good to pass up! Who wouldn't want to play around with this many bishies?! Anyways, more to come.


	5. FF Banding Together 5

Pairings: Irvine/Squall, Reno/Vincent, Seifer/Zell? Kiros/Laguna, Cloud/Zell/Sephiroth? Reno/Irvine?, the rest is unknown at the moment and the ones with question marks I'm still thinking on. ::blinks:: If you wanna give suggestions for yaoi pairings please do so. They're welcomed. And from that I'll see what I can do about it.

Warnings: yaoi, AU, slight moments of nose bleed, possibly major angst in later chapters, emotional stress, attitude, crossovers, possibly major flirtation action, stuff even I don't know about

Author's comments: Ok, so the cameras got annoying so I went back to the old chapters and got rid of them. Meaning some things have probably changed, but probably not too much. Also I have went back and changed some of the band status meaning ::blinks:: That Irvine is now a singer/guitar player…things like that. ::smile sheepishly:: I did a little bit of study on what bands really are made out of. ::bows head low:: I apologize for the inconvenience and hope this will make all better. ::smiles::

Comments: (**changes made): **_"old McDonald"_ lyrics or well, singing (quotations and italics)

My god, I wanna fuck him. what the character is thinking (italics only)

FF Banding Together 5

Vincent was stuck, lost in his own thoughts really. Though he was trying his best to control his thoughts, they still wandered, mostly back to the man with the hat. He'd seen maybe a few videos of them on TV and knew well of their popularity with the fans, so close with their own. Still, it wasn't often that he felt this way. Even with Reno, which was a case he didn't have a choice on. Sometimes he spoke to Cloud, light talking but that was it. Occasionally when he had the chance he spoke to his Manager, but a lot of the time, Cid was too busy giving out directions for them all to even considering listening to the long haired male. But to be honest…this was Vincent's first time ever having opened up to anyone. At least…after the incident. Probably the thing that was bothering him most was the fact that he was talking more to someone not even in their band. They were competing and yet…the way that man had looked at him.

I could read his eyes.

Though it wasn't so clear what was there in them. This…Irvine guy didn't look at him like other people did. Most looked on him as only adoring fans can, either that or with a look of possession. And even though that adoring look was there in those violet eyes, they seemed shadowed by a fear of some sort. Something Vincent didn't know about. But then one look at the man, one look at his companion and the passed feelings between the two and Vincent knew. He knew that sort of expression. The auburn haired man was in love with the scarred one. It made sense. But he was scared of that love. It made Vincent feel sorry for him and at the same time very envious. He wished he could feel that sort of love, that devotion towards someone.

Though everyone knew he was sleeping with Reno, no one really knew what the relationship was. He never truly spoke to the man in public and spoke very little when alone with him. No the relationship was really based on something different all together. Reno didn't seem to have that loving touch, didn't think anything special of Vincent, yet he held onto him as a pet. Often Vincent questioned it but he never voiced what he wanted to ask. Why did he want to ask anyway? But there was this look sometimes, in Reno's eyes that made Vincent question for that precious second if it was really a look of love. But it was nothing more than a passing, a brief blow of the wind. Their relationship was complicated, built on more things than the simple compliant pet and the disciplining master.

There was a secret…about Vincent…one that should never get out. This was his only reason for staying with Reno. The red haired man knew his secret…was using it against him to make him stay. Said that his beauty was flawless and that he would attract even more fans by looks alone. That was why he was a part of the band. He had no musical skills, at least none that were known to the others of his band mates, but his looks made up for it. Therefore his only option was to dance. It wasn't exactly his joy but sometimes, being lost in the lyrics of the words, which were ironically sung by Reno, he would feel…moved. That was the best he could think of.

Sighing, he sat there on the bed for a little longer, glancing over at the clock now. Ten minutes to seven and he was late to the rehearsal. Reno would probably punish him later for that. He smiled ruefully. It wasn't that Reno was that bad, just that he had a big mouth and tended to be very cocky. So far he'd never hurt Vincent, at least not physically. Mentally was another story all together. Still Vincent held out, hiding all of his emotions. Sometimes he knew they slipped to Reno's satisfaction, but what did it matter? He was just a toy to the other, even in their lovemaking. If you could call it that.

I need to get out of this place.

There was a knock at the door and Vincent sat there, staring at it for a moment before he stood to his feet and walked over to it. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Cloud. Open up." Figures Reno would send someone to retrieve him. Forcing his body to stand, he walked over to the door and opened it stepping back to let the blonde boy in. A glance over showed interesting results. He seemed to be a bit flushed in the cheeks. Though Vincent wasn't going to question it. It wasn't any of his business anyway.

"He asked you to come get me," Vincent said for him, tilting his head to the side as he stared down at the blonde.

"Yeah…he doesn't seem happy." Cloud glanced to the side for a moment before returning his eyes to Vincent. "I had expected you to be hiding outside somewhere."

"You're lucky. I was about to head out anyway. This place is too confining."

"Then you should go outside. I don't think Cid would be angry with you for wandering the town for a bit." Vincent just lifted a brow at that. There was another part to that…Cid wouldn't mind, but Reno sure would. "Maybe you should have a talk with him when you get the chance."

"I'll think about it…we better leave before he comes." He being Reno. Cid didn't care what you did, as long as you were being professional about it and not embarrassing him. It wasn't that his part in this one was that hard even. And Vincent didn't completely hate dancing. He just…didn't like being around Reno when Cid was out. The other always become more…unstable was maybe the word for it.

"Yeah. He's starting to bitch again." Just the way Cloud said it so contained and naturally made Vincent give a smile. Sometimes Cloud was good with cheering him up even without trying. "Apparently I'm not playing my part correctly or something." Cloud opened the door, stepping out into the hallway with his hands in his pockets. "Cid should be back soon so let's get started then." Vincent nodded his head to that and started out after him. Sometimes he wondered why he wasn't roomed with Cid but then again, people would question a band member in the same room with a manager. He was roomed with Reno, because Reno had said so. It was either this or have all his history told. He wasn't ready for that…besides, Reno mostly just wanted sex with him anyway. That was something he could easily provide for the sake of his protection.

* * *

Zell hoped the others were having better luck cause right then, he couldn't find Squall. He was just reaching floor 13, wondering mostly over whose bright idea was it to split up and search for Squall in a 25-story building with who knows how many rooms. Not to mention that Squall had more than one way to get from one floor to the other. With a sigh, Zell found himself a chair, now being in one of the little lounges, and flopped down in it. The place was pretty empty aside from an elderly lady here or a few couples there. If they noticed him, they didn't bother him, which he was thankful for. No, not just anyone was in this hotel right now…only people with money and power. For all he knew, half the people were here gambling for or against him.

Leaning back in the chair, shirt sliding up slightly, he folded his arms over his chest and tilted his head back staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully. He was thinking back to the pool and what had happened out there. Something was up with Irvine…it had something to do with that black haired male. His name was Vincent if Zell was right…and Irvine had sounded very offended at Rinoa's words for him. Then again, Irvine still didn't like Rinoa…and obviously Rinoa didn't like Irvine considering he was a threat to her and Squall's relationship. Zell was the only who couldn't bring himself to hate any of his band mates. He did dislike Irvine's need to want to bring females back to his room. Just, he was so loud, the females giggling drunkenly then later moaning out in such passion that there was no further need of anything else to tell what was going on. Really, Zell couldn't see what the big deal was about girls. They were nice, but he didn't find them attractive. So what was it that Squall and Irvine saw in them? And yes, he thought his friends were attractive. He knew Squall was bi though he wasn't too sure how many knew about it…aside from Rinoa. Irvine still disbelieved himself to be bi, which hurt Zell most. The other wasn't being true to himself, but he wished he would be…he wished that Squall and Irvine would get along with each other…even for a day.

"Aww, is the poor little faggot all alone?" At the sound of that voice, Zell felt his body tense, hands clenching as he tried to contain his anger. Seifer…how did he forget all about him? "Are your little band nerds you call friends afraid of catching gayidious from you?"  
"Not that it's any of your business or anything but I'm looking for someone…so go away." Zell looked up at him, sending him a glare, noting mentally that his goons weren't following him. It was rare that he didn't have them behind him…what was he up to? Not bothering to think on it any further and realizing that Seifer wasn't going anywhere, Zell stood from the chair, pushing past Seifer roughly as he headed to the elevator. Whatever it was with Squall, they could find out later. Right now he wanted to get away from Seifer…as quickly as he could.

Pushing the down arrow at the elevator, he glanced over seeing Seifer heading in his direction. He was sporting his long dark gray trench coat, which flowed behind him, and his black boots where the tips of them was made of solid metal so that whenever he took a step it made a loud clicking sound.

Zell tried to look like he wasn't uncomfortable, pushing the down button again and again in impatience the closer Seifer got to him. He didn't like the look he was receiving so he was happy when the door finally opened up and he rushed in quickly pushing the button for the first floor. As he saw the door closing, he thought he was safely away, but found out just how wrong he was when a hand reached in causing the door to start to open again.

"What the hell do you want from me?!" Zell yelled out, glaring as he clenched his hand at his side. He knew that it he was very close to hitting the other. Being taunted and teased, that's what it was. As the other stepped inside the elevator, he saw the door starting to close and made to stop it, but he didn't make it as suddenly his body was pinned to the side of elevator by Seifer's own body. Zell's eyes opened wide in wonderment, watching as Seifer pushed the stop button to the elevator just as it started to move, making it halt with a jerk. "What are you doing?!" Zell said, swallowing slightly as he glared at the other, struggling against him to get free. Even with all his strength, the other was stronger than he was, body placed in such a way that Zell couldn't dislodge him.

"You're just a little faggot aren't you?" Seifer said not giving him an answer. There was a glint to his eyes, a menacing look that caused Zell to turn his head and look away. That action was a mistake as Seifer's lips suddenly latched onto his neck, sucking at one moment then quickly starting to nibble at the skin. "A gay little cocksucker," Seifer whispered against his neck. Zell let out a little sound of pleasure, feeling that tongue moving over his light skin. He tried to fight it, tried to keep the other from knowing that he was enjoying this. Seifer actually had Zell's hands pinned down at his sides keeping them from moving, but now they were loosening just as the tension in Zell's body was. How could someone so evil make him feel so good?

I can't believe I'm letting this happen!

He was angry with himself, but it wasn't as though he could do anything. Or could it? He was probably strong enough to remove Seifer from him…but he was letting this happen. Was it because he wanted it? Did he actually liked being called these names? No! No, there was no excuse for this!

"You're probably craving to have someone inside of you right now, aren't you?" Seifer said lifting a knee and pressing it against Zell's crotch. At the contact, Zell had to bite off a moan from slipping free, trying to get his mind off of what was happening and at the same time questioning why Seifer was doing this to him. What did it all mean? Or was he still being teased like always? Where was all his hate for him now? "The little gay boy probably wants it in his mouth too, doesn't he?" Seifer was kissing along Zell's jaw and Zell found himself quickly turning his head and meeting those lips head on. At first Seifer didn't respond to the kiss, but it wasn't long before Zell found his tongue moving against the other's hungrily. He could feel the leader singer's hands moving against his skin underneath the shirt. And it felt good, the feeling of his warm hands rubbing at his nipples causing them to grow harder, or the other hand that was reaching down teasing his crotch.

It made Zell wonder if maybe they were both drunk. They were enemies, had been for so long, and now all of a sudden stuck in an elevator they were going at each other like animals. Maybe it was lust and primal need that was driving them, but at that moment he didn't care. He was receiving a pleasure he hadn't received in over a month…and he needed it…why an elevator, he didn't know?

I'm losing all my senses.

But it seemed all this fun, the forbidden pleasure between rivals wasn't meant to last. As Zell slipped his hands around underneath the trench coat touching Seifer's back underneath the shirt, the other suddenly grew tense against him, his actions stopping. Zell's touch must have awakened him because he pulled away suddenly, wiping at his lips as he glared at Zell, panting softly in what a person could only take to mean that he had been enjoying it as well.

"What the hell did you just do to me you homo?!" His eyes shined with pure anger and Zell could do nothing but return the angry glare, buttoning his pants which Seifer had seemed so eager to get undone not even two minutes ago.

"It's not like I asked you to molest me!" Zell said pushing the button at the side of the elevator making it start to move again. He needed to get away from this creep.

Gods, I need a shower to get the stink off of me.

"That's because you put your gay curse on me," Seifer said grumbling slightly and straightening his clothes. "Let's get one thing straight right here and right now." He let his intense eyes settling on Zell and the other folded his arms. "Anything that happened in this elevator, stays in it. You tell anyone about this and I swear I'll come after you and make you wish you were anywhere but here."

Trust me, I already have that feeling.

The elevator made a beep sound as it stopped. Zell continued to glare at Seifer until the door to the elevator opened and he moved, pushing past him roughly once again. Before he could fully make it out of the elevator though, Seifer grabbed his arm and pulled him back into a quick and sloppy kiss that made Zell want to melt. And just as quickly as the kiss had been given, he was pushed away out of the elevator and left staring at Seifer until the door closed again. Those same intense eyes had watched him the whole time the door closed…and this now left Zell more confused than ever. He rested a hand to his head tiredly, his other hand touching his lips where he could still feel the warmth of the kiss.

I need to lie down…this is too much.

They could worry about Squall another time…not that he didn't care but he was sure the others could take care of him when they found him. He headed off towards his room to lay down certain that tomorrow would be a busy day. Rather he could actually rest or not was another story all together.

* * *

Quistis huffed slightly, her heels clattering against the floor as she walked. Her arms were taut at her sides as she stomped. At a first glance, you would have known she was angry or at the least upset. She had just come from dinner with the managers of the other bands. To say the least, it wasn't going well. Already they talked about her, said she wasn't qualified to be a manager. She was the newest manager out of the three and her band the newest in the popularity list. Therefore, that just had to mean that she didn't have the hands-on training that the others had had. Even Edea had at least a year under her belt. Whether anyone believe it or not, Quistis's three band members were perfect together…minus the flaw of harsh feelings. Edea bragged about Seifer as if he were her child. But at the same time, she seemed to have control over him…probably filled his mind with anything she wanted as well. Fujin and Raijin listened only to Seifer…and if they could, would follow him anywhere.

In Cid's case, he said he preferred being around his members. He mentioned Vincent as his final member but when asked about the guy, he gave no answers. He either had a very mysterious guy in his group, or he didn't want to talk about it to his rivals. Either way, Quistis had excused herself soon after not wanting to be bothered with this. For some reason, she felt she needed to check on her members. That and she needed to tell them what time they needed to come to practice and which ballroom to be in. The three judges at been at the dinner table, had watched her as she left, but she didn't care.

She just needed to find them now. Irvine should have been the easiest to find, but of course there was no chance he'd listen to her and stay in his room. She'd be lucky if he was even inside the hotel anymore. There was a plus with them having the cell phones that they should have been carrying with them. They had been provided for just such a case as hers. She was about to make a call to one of them before she looked up to see Squall walking by into the lobby. He hadn't looked her way and so hadn't acknowledged her. The way his body was tense, the way he was moving, Quistis knew he was angry.

Can those two go without having a fight after five minutes at least once?

Yes…this had to involve Irvine in some way. With a sigh, she started to move, going after the boy only to pause as a familiar cowboy hat followed after the stoic boy. Speak of the devil…and he comes. She was tempted to stand and watch, noticing the two boys talking now. She couldn't really tell from far away, but it looked like Squall was starting to calm down. That was a first that Irvine could be the cause for it…and she was tempted to leave him there to take care of things; however, duty called and she started in their direction, putting on her authoritative face. This was the only way they would listen to her, after all.

* * *

"Squall, would you just stop and hear me out!" Irvine was behind him following, his arms moving animatedly in quick gestures as he tried to get Squall's attention. The black clad male just ignored the actions, ignored him completely, as he kept moving appearing to be picking up speed at the same time. Finally, growing frustrated, Irvine reached out and grabbed Squall's arm, turning the other quickly to look at him. For a moment the other stared into his eyes making him speechless. It took the shake of a head and a deep breath before he could even continue, trying to stare back into Squall's eyes without feeling his tummy fluttering. "Look, I don't know what got you so pissed off this time, and if it's something I did I'm sorry. But you should try loosening up and stop being such a jackass!"

With a growl, Squall pulled free of his band mate, glaring at him now before he folded his arms. "I don't have time for you. If you want to go bother someone, go bother your lover."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Go talk to your male lover and leave me out of this! Even better, go play with the judges since you find them so attractive." Irvine just blinked in response. The first shock had to be the fact that Squall was being so emotional, especially about this. The second shock was that he was accusing Irvine of liking males. The third shock was that he was actually upset about that after all the times he tried to make him admit to it!

"Why the hell do you think I have a male lover?" He was getting angry himself now. Irvine did NOT like being accused.

What the hell is it with everyone thinking I'm gay?! Is it my hair?! My eyes?! WHAT?!

"A male would be the last thing I'd allow in my bed." Yes, he was Irvine...proclaimed to be the lover of females. And what wasn't there to like about them? Long hair, curly hair, short hair, breast, a body. And just what could a male provide him, huh?! Pointy fingers, narrow lips…luscious lips…Squall's luscious lips …his glaring eyes staring at him with long thin eyelashes…. The fact that his lips were opening again, and a beautiful pink tongue was sticking out to lick at soft lips and….

Oh fuck! I AM turning gay!

He hadn't moved though, still standing there with his hands now on Squall's elbow, feeling how small the other actually was despite his attitude. He was attractive, especially how his hair could falls over his eyes and just the perfect way or the scar that went across his face which didn't repel a person at all. Squall never did tell anyone how it happened…just that he owed someone. Even Rinoa didn't now, which satisfied Irvine pretty damn good. Irvine noticed how Squall's mouth was slightly parted…how he had stopped talking once he noticed the intense look Irvine must have been giving him. For a moment he wondered what could be going through Squall's mind now…for a moment he forgot that they weren't alone in the hotel…and then all that shattered when he heard her voice.

"Well, I'm glad to see you two are getting along," Quistis said, pushing her glasses up as she stopped beside them, a hand covering her mouth to hide her laugh. Just the fact that it seemed like she was taunting him caused Irvine to jump back from Squall, using the hand to wave off the suspicion.

"You know, it's rude to sneak up on people like that," Irvine said, trying to change the topic now, despite that Squall appeared to be ignoring them, lost in thought probably.

"And it's rude to not listen to your manager's orders." Oh she had him there, arms folded with a smug look. Yeah…so he ditched his "punishment" of being grounded to his room. Irvine glanced over to Squall, tempted to reach out and shake the other just to see him respond when Squall suddenly just looked at them and folded his arms over his chest, his expression and body matter returning to normal.

"So what room are we meeting in tomorrow and what time?" Squall said easily, not even giving Irvine a glance and pretty much not acknowledging his existence.

Fucking prick.

"Hm, that's just what I was coming to tell you." Again Quistis reached up and pushed the glasses up on her nose better before shaking her head, her blond hair coming to rest on her shoulders like feathers. "We're meeting on the third floor, room 14 at 6'o clock, sharp."

"WHAT?! Six in the morning?!" Irvine said, the shock evident. "There's no way I can party and be awake at that time!" So much for his first night out on the town to find pretty chicks and get laid.

"Then I suggest you skip the partying and go straight to bed," she admonished, giving him a mock glare before she turned to Squall. "Be sure to tell Zell about this when you find him then get your butts into bed. We'll be working hard tomorrow so that we will be a success." Without another word she walked off heading leaving Irvine to look after her. That crazy woman was going to be the death of him! He had to admit though, they would never have gotten this far without her. He turned his head to say something to Squall and was left with his mouth shaped like an O as he saw the other walking off.

I don't care what anyone says, he'll always be a fucking asshole.

But then Irvine smiled and followed after him. He preferred that he be an asshole than not speaking at all. But oh well, tomorrow would be a long day, he might as well prepare himself with some much needed sleep…so that he could sing his heart out and beat that bastard Reno.

TBC….

That ends part five finally. ::cheer, woot!:: But yes, I can only hope this gets up in time considering that my internet died on me recently…after the computer died like a few weeks easily. ::curses:: But I'm sure it will find it's way. Hmm…my comments on this? I like writing for Irvine, Reno is a jerk in this story, but a sexy one though who really knows what's going through his mind. Hmm…Vincent is still sexy…and I oh so enjoyed doing the Seifer/Zell thing. Who says showering can't bring out the best of ideas. ::snickers:: Ja ne until next chapter!


	6. FF Banding Together 6

Pairings: Irvine/Squall, Reno/Vincent, Seifer/Zell? Kiros/Laguna, Cloud/Zell/Sephiroth? Reno/Irvine? Cid/Vincent, the rest is unknown at the moment and the ones with question marks I'm still thinking on. :blinks: If you wanna give suggestions for yaoi pairings please do so. They're welcomed. And from that I'll see what I can do about it.

Warnings: yaoi, AU, slight moments of nose bleed, possibly major angst in later chapters, emotional stress, attitude, crossovers, possibly major flirtation action, stuff even I don't know about

Author's comments: Finally updated! Sorry for the wait. Classes were really stressful and time consuming this time.

Comments: (**changes made): **_"old McDonald"_ lyrics or well, singing (quotations and italics)

My god, I wanna fuck him. what the character is thinking (italics only)

FF Banding Together 6

It was one 'o clock and Cloud was downstairs at the garden just like he'd been told. It hadn't been that hard to find it, one sign leading to another. He was dressed comfortably though, wearing a silk blue shirt and a pair of loose white pants just for the occasion. He couldn't help feeling nervous…wondering if it was wrong for him to be there. He was meeting with a judge for crying out loud! Wasn't that illegal? But the man…this Sephiroth guy intrigued him in such a way he just had to do it. Cloud checked his watch again, seeing that a minute had passed and still the man wasn't there. No, he had to calm down. There was no reason for him to be this way.

"You came." The deepness of the voice startled Cloud causing him to turn around quickly to see the man standing before him. Sephiroth's silver like hair was back in a ponytail, he was wearing a comfortable white button up shirt and a pair of normal slacks looking just like someone you'd see walking down the street everyday, just an extremely sexy someone. "I didn't think you'd actually do it."

"Why did you call me down here? And so late at night." Cloud was curious mentally wondering for a moment if the other planned to kill him and hide his body. But then again what reason would he have to do that? He noticed the other's intense stare on him and looked away, rubbing a hand against his arm. Just the other being there sent shivers through his body. Ignore the fact that the moonlight beamed off Sephiroth's hair lighting him up and making him shine like an angel. He was like some Greek god or something. He was irresistible.

I shouldn't be thinking like this. Especially not about a judge.

That didn't stop his thoughts though and he forced himself to look at the man again as he spoke. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to be here right now," Cloud said, his eyes closing for a moment as the wind blew hard against him. "I have practice in the morning."

"You remind me of someone," Sephiroth said. He took a step closer to Cloud causing the other to back away slightly, even though he didn't mean to. "Not your looks exactly…but something about you…reminds me of an old friend of mine by the name of Zack."

"Wait, you knew Zack?" Apparently, Cloud wasn't the only shocked one as Sephiroth was staring at him with slightly wider eyes now.

"Yeah. I was ten, two years older than him when he moved to my neighborhood."

"Sounds about right," Cloud said with a nod. He turned and started to walk down the sidewalk of the garden, knowing the other was following beside him, but forcing himself to keep his mind off of that. "He was about eight when he moved. We had been best friends since we were three. Then at eight he just said he had to go, so he left. I hadn't heard from him since and I've been wondering how he's been doing."

"We used to be best friends as well," Sephiroth said making Cloud stopped and turn to face him, a frown showing up on his face.

"What do you mean, 'used to'?" This didn't sound good, not at all.

Sephiroth stopped as well, but he didn't turn to look at Cloud. Instead he tilted his head back looking up to the sky and closed his eyes. "Yes. He's been dead a while now…decided he wanted to become a mercenary. Bad thing was, he got killed in action. His family was heartbroken." He clenches his hands, eyebrow twitching giving Cloud hints that Sephiroth had to be just as upset as the family had been. Still…it was a shock knowing that he would never be able to see his best friend again.

Cloud turned his head away for a moment before he looked at him again. "…I'm sorry," he said quietly, "that this all happened…."

"Don't be." Sephiroth said quickly, turning around to face Cloud as he took a step closer. "I think this is what he would have wanted me to do."

"What do you mean-mmf!" Cloud's eyes widened looking ready to pop out as he felt the others lips on his. His mind was telling him that this was the forbidden, to be kissing this judge as if they'd known each other forever, but his lips…they wouldn't stop. They kept responding to the soft kiss, his tongue pushing out of his mouth as his protest died on his numbing lips. He started to close his eyes, his eyelids already half way shut as he held onto Sephiroth's shoulder. It was all going ok though, until Sephiroth reached under his shirt touching one of his nipples. That jolted Cloud awake with a yelp as he struggled to pull away. "W-wait. We shouldn't be doing this."

"Doing what? This is normal between two people."

"We just met this morning! This isn't normal!" He could feel his breathing coming in quick pants that were a match for Sephiroth's despite his outward calm. He acted liked this didn't mean a thing, like his job wasn't on the line for kissing someone he was supposed to judge, or like Cloud's band wasn't on the line for trying to bribe the judge, not that he was trying to but to the seeing eye, it'd probably look like it. "Look, maybe after we put this whole competition behind us, then we could consider…d-doing this. But we can't do that right now, I mean, it'll cause a lot of problems and mmmff!" Again the judge's lips made contact with his and Cloud found himself losing the battle to keep control. He was finding it so much harder to say no, hands clasping into Sephiroth's shirt as he held on starting to grind his body against the other. He could feel himself being lowered down carefully to the ground, felt the other's body laying on top of him, giving off its own craving heat. Cloud was in paradise now and there was nothing that could make him go back.

* * *

"What the fuck do you think you're trying to pull!"

Reno sighed. "Just shut the fuck up and start playing."

"Don't think I'll just do whatever the hell you tell me! I didn't listen to my father and I'm certainly not going to take this shit from you!"

Once again it was another argue. This was day two of their little practice, Sunday now, and everyone was already growing restless. Reno and Rufus hadn't even waited five fucking seconds before going at it with each other. It was driving Cid to madness, in fact maybe he was going mad. God, what the hell was it going to take to get these lousy son of a bitch pretty boys to sit their asses down and start playing!

"Alright, all of you shut the hell up!" Cid yelled out, slamming his fist down on the table he was sitting at as he was watching the others up on the stage, hoping for a good practice today since he hadn't been there yesterday. Frustrated, he chewed slightly on the end of his cigarette, giving them all a glare…well except for Vincent. For some reason when he looked into those intriguing red eyes, he could never bring himself to give a mean look. "Counting today, we have six full days of practice so we don't have time for all of this arguing." Standing to his feet, he pointed to the distracted Cloud, dumping the ash of his cigarette on the floor. "Cloud, I want you to play that part again, but take it a little slower." His eyes shifted to Reno as he placed the cigarette back into his mouth. "Reno, don't strain your voice so much, tune it down a little. And Rufus, stop whining like a little bitch and play the fucking drums like you mean it!" Finally his eyes settled on Vincent and they softened. Why was it he could never be forceful with him? Was it because he always did what he was told?

So why the hell are you allowing Reno to keep him around like a fucking slave then!

Quickly Cid shook his head and cleared his throat nodding his head to Vincent. "You're doing just fine, just keep up the good work." With a little sigh, he lowered himself back down into the chair. "Ok, we'll take five for now. Just don't go wondering too far, I don't want to have to come chase your asses down. We still have a deadline to meet…after that I don't care what you do. We'll continue once everyone's back so don't take all fucking day."

Everyone started to set down their instruments and go about their business. Rufus went over to Cloud, talking to him about something, probably about Reno. For some reason Rufus just seemed even more agitated than usual. Cloud, on the other hand, happened to be dazing off a lot and not paying attention, something that was uncommon with him…well uncommon in the fact that he was smiling about it. And let's _not_ mention that fact that he practically passed out from exhaustion four times in a row by now. As for Reno, he was heading in the direction of Vincent. But of course Vincent was heading in Cid's direction and Cid had to clear his throat and try to keep his eyes from looking down at the tight dark blue pants.

"I…need to ask you something," Vincent said once he was in front of Cid. He must have known that Reno was waiting on him, because he was speaking quickly, keeping his eyes turned away.

"Yeah, what do ya need?" Cid smothered his cigarette into the ashtray and leaned forward on his elbows attentively. Why did he allow Reno to run this kid over like he did? Well, maybe because it wasn't his business what was happening. If Vincent didn't ask for any help…maybe he didn't want it.

"I was wondering…." He leaned down suddenly, not too much but enough so that he could easily whisper to Cid without being overhead. "If it will be ok for me to go out tonight…out into the city." Now Cid's eyes widened after the spoken request. Vincent wanted to go out on the town? Was he sick? Maybe the question he was wondering was how did he plan to do that with Reno keeping such a tight reign on him.

"Fine," Cid said waving it away as he started to reach for another cigarette. "Just be sure to come by my room before you leave." He was whispering too, he realized. "If Reno ask where you're going, tell him you're coming to see me, ok?" At the other's nod, Cid felt himself smile. He could only hope this would give the other some small bit of self-confidence. Thinking on it now, Cid knew why he allowed it. Reno was their singer, and one of the more popular males in the group…if he didn't get his way, he would quit. Anyone would pick him up so he would never really be out of work. And of course, what was a band without its singer? Good…but not the best….

Vincent actually gave him a smile, one of the more rare things Cid ever got to see from him, and turned heading out of the room. Cid frowned watching Reno who was looking at Vincent leave. He didn't look happy about it and quickly turned his attention to Cid. "What was that all about?"

Cid lifted a brow before he slipped a new cigarette into his mouth and started to look for his lighter. "He asked to see me later. There's no harm in it so be light on the fucking kid."

Reno nodded but he didn't look like he really believed it as he reached into Cid's shirt pocket and pulled the lighter out with two fingers before a smirk lifted to his lips. "You wouldn't be leaving any information out on me now would you old man?"

With a grunt, Cid reached for the lighter, only to have it pulled back from his grasp. "Course I wouldn't. The fuck you take me for anyway?"

"I take you for the old lying man I know you to be. You know as well as I do that if we give him too much free reign that things will get out of control." The words were whispered now, Reno's thumb clicking on the lighter causing a flame to be produced. As he held it closer, Cid looked at him cautiously before he leaned forward, the cig entering the flame. "That's the main reason for why I treat him as I do."

"I ain't that old," Cid muttered taking a breath of the cig, letting the toxins fill his lungs. "Still, if things are so bad, wouldn't it be safer for him to be in my room or another?"

"No. You'd only pamper him even more than you're doing now." The lighter was closed and Reno gently set it down on the table before he stood up straight, looking at his nails. "He responds to what I do. In a different sort of way, he needs what I give him…he just doesn't know it yet."

"…Has he remembered anything yet?" Cid asked curiously, his eyes lifting up to meet the singer's. The touch of a smirk was in his eyes making Cid begin to wonder about Reno's mindset. How much did he really know about his own members…having known them a long time?

"No, he still holds to his falseness. I'm sure he will awaken soon. Once that happens, everything will be either perfect or in chaos." Finally Reno stepped back, winking an eye before he turned around and started back towards the stage. "Ok, let's get back to work!" Cid could see the glare in Rufus's eyes as well as Cloud and sighed. Loooong day.

* * *

It had been a long practice…and Squall was tired out of his mind. All he did was argue back and forth with Irvine then get cussed at by Quistis. Even more confusing, Rinoa was starting to show her hate for Irvine as well. In fact last night she had said outright that she disliked Irvine. When Squall asked the reasons though, she hadn't answered. Still…what had happened yesterday while they stood out there in the lobby…the look in Irvine's eyes…it just sent a chill down Squall's body. Why was that? He couldn't figure it out yet. But then it was like none of that happened as they were back at square one. This time it was Irvine being out of tune….or Squall skipping ahead in the song. It was because he was so preoccupied that he messed up…what was Irvine's excuse? He said that since he didn't get laid last night, he wasn't on track meaning really… 'let me have sex and I'll sing correctly.'

I hate him…

Probably the other problem was the fact that Zell so preoccupied too…he was missing his hits in which case he'd mutter a quick apology. He also seemed to be shaking a lot lately and looking around nervously. But whatever happened to him…it wasn't Squall's place to ask. If Zell wanted to tell them, he'd do it on his own time.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he started down towards his room, Rinoa once more on his arm. He was finding that her comforts were starting to lose their magic. He didn't want to admit to that…but it was true. No matter how much she was trying, the despair wasn't leaving him. And as much as he hated it, he found himself thinking about Irvine more than usual. They could be eating and he'd find himself staring at him across the table. When asked if something was wrong, he just looked away pretending that nothing had happened. It was that look that effected him…like Irvine actually cared what happened to him. But he was a playboy…how could he care?

Suddenly Squall ran into something and he fall back, shaking his head rapidly to get rid of the dizziness. Rinoa was beside him instantly, asking if he was ok and he nodded his head pushing her to the side. What the hell did he just run into? As he looked, he saw a set of eyes somewhat similar to his own and a round face with something of a sheepish grin on it. "Ah, sorry about that," Laguna said rubbing his hand behind his head also on the ground.

"Don't worry about it," Squall said pushing up to his feet. He reached out a hand pulling Laguna to his feet then glanced over at Rinoa. "Let's get going." Yeah maybe he should have apologized too…who knew who's fault it was. He hadn't been paying attention himself after all. Besides…the guy had to be an idiot.

"Ah…wait a minute," Laguna said, getting Squall's attention once more. Squall paused at the end of the hallway, resting his hands on his hips as he turned his glaring eyes to the man. He wasn't in the mood for this. "Ah…" Laguna once more rubbed at his head as he started walking over towards Squall. "Yeah, I was just wondering if you knew a woman by the name of Raine. I mean I know this sounds a little sudden and all, but this is just for curiosity's sake."

Squall lifted a brow slightly before he nodded his head slowly, curious yet untrusting where the man was going with this. "Yes…I know her, she's my mother…why?"

"Yeah well, I know this may sound a little weird but…" Laguna smiled down at Squall, though it was a nervous smile, and reached out resting a hand on Squall's shoulder. "Squall, there's a chance that well….you know, I….well."

"Just spit it out," Squall said reaching up and brushing the hand away.

"I'm your…um…biggest fan!" Laguna said taking a step back as he nodded his head. "And I just wanted to tell you that. Good bye." Without a second thought he was gone, running down the hallway away from Squall leaving the two staring after him in confusion.

"….What a weird guy." Rinoa said, her hands holding onto Squall's arm once again despite his attitude about it earlier.

"Hm…." Squall shrugged his shoulders and turned around, Rinoa in tow, to start walking the other way. He knew that wasn't what the guy had wanted to say or else, why even mention his mother. From remembering what his mother had said his father was like, it was likely that this could be the man; however, Squall preferred to pretend at least for now that his father wasn't a complete idiot. He also preferred now to wonder why his father had left them alone like that. He had enough problems right now, with Irvine walking around being an asshole and with Zell freaking out at every corner. Quistis wasn't any help either with the way she was stressing out. And Rinoa…he was still confused about that.

"Squall?"

"Yeah?" Squall said looking down at her.

"You still love me, right?"

TBC….

Yes weird place to end it and generally a weird chapter. It's been a while so I apologize if it sounds a little weird at times. But once I get myself back into this story I'll try to bring it back to speed. :blinks: the screan looks blurry. My eyes! My eyessssss! Anyways, also look forward to a new FF7 story coming soon, starring Vincent and Cid.


	7. FF Banding Together 7

Pairings: Irvine/Squall, Reno/Vincent, Seifer/Zell? Kiros/Laguna, Cloud/Zell/Sephiroth? Reno/Irvine? Cid/Vincent? Irvine/Vincent, the rest is unknown at the moment and the ones with question marks I'm still thinking on. :blinks: If you wanna give suggestions for yaoi pairings please do so. They're welcomed. And from that I'll see what I can do about it. (I keep adding to the list, don't I?)

Warnings: yaoi, AU, slight moments of nose bleed, possibly major angst in later chapters, emotional stress, attitude, crossovers, possibly major flirtation action, stuff even I don't know about

Author's comments: Mmmm…two…wait, three more characters have been added into the broil I mean story. This is just making more and more ideas pop into my head as I go. I might be making updates a little faster than usual considering that I'm out on break finally. :mutters: even if that is only for a three weeks at most.

Comments: _"old McDonald"_ lyrics or well, singing (quotations and italics)

My god, I wanna fuck him. what the character is thinking (italics only)

FF Banding Together 7

Cid chewed on his unlit cig as he paced back and forth in his room. The fucking kid was late and it was bothering him. Maybe he changed his mind and decided he didn't really want to go out tonight. It was probably for the best considering the way they had found him that night he joined the band. He shook his head of the image forming in his head as someone knocked at the door. "Yeah, come in." The door opened slowly as Vincent slipped inside before quietly closing the door behind him. As he turned around being in full view again, Cid found his eyes looking him over, taking in the slightly more comfortable clothes if not much lighter than before. Sometimes it made Cid wonder if Vincent was just using them to blend in or just in love with dark clothes.

Vincent seemed to take note of Cid looking at him and looked down at his clothes, tugging slightly on the shirt he wore. "I didn't have much else to wear that would be comfortable enough." He looked up at Cid again asking, "this is ok, right?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure sure! Wear whatever the fuck you want!" Cid turned around going to sit his bed and using that as an excuse to stop drooling over the dark haired man. Geez, the man was too beautiful. Did he even know what sort of thoughts he was flashing through Cid's head? "Now, you're sure this is what you want to do?" At Vincent's nod, Cid sighed slightly and leaned back on the bed. "Alright then. If we play our cards right, we can probably get away with this without Reno finding out."

Vincent shifted slightly. "He already knows. He says that I shouldn't go outside the hotel without him…so he's coming too." Cid frowned slightly, the cig drooping in his mouth a bit as he stood up making he way over to Vincent. The other backed up against he door a bit, either startled or just being cautious.

"And just how the hell did he get that out of you?" Vincent looked away quickly, though he probably hadn't meant it as there was a mark on Vincent's cheek. When Cid squinted his eyes he could see the bruise there and felt his anger flare up as he slammed his hands on either side of Vincent's head, startling the other to turning to look at him. "Damn it, Vincent! You need to start standing up for yourself! I really don't like seeing you like this! I mean I don't know what happened in your past but you need to let it go and move on!"

Vincent tilted his head slightly and reached up resting his hand against Cid's cheek before he pulled it away. "I have a feeling…that if I remember what happened, I could hurt the people closest to me. It's better if I live like this than remember that pain." He slipped free from Cid watching the other standing there before he opened the door and slipped out.

"…I'll see you at practice tomorrow then." The door closed behind Vincent leaving Cid to once again start chewing on his cig. He knew Reno had a lot more information on Vincent than he was letting out. He knew the other was hiding it for one reason or another. The only information he would give to them was that he'd found Vincent one night and decided to have him join the band as their dancer. Though back then Vincent's eyes had a hell of a lot less life to them than they did now. Who knows what was putting life back into them now, or the fact that he was actually starting to speak up more.

Maybe if we're fuckin lucky, he'll stand up to Reno.

Cid headed back to his bed and sat down, reaching over to grab his newspaper and started to read. Yep, they were going to be an even bigger hit after this competition one way or the other.

_

* * *

He's pacing again._

Once again Laguna was in Kiros's room, though instead of being more relaxed, he was being even more nervous than last time. How did Kiros know? Cause Laguna was chewing on his nails while he was pacing. He hadn't uttered too much when he came in but once Kiros got him to start explaining, he couldn't get him to stop. The television in front of the bed was still on though the volume was muted so he could hear Laguna. Now he was wondering if that was a good idea.

"…And I tried really hard to talk to him, ya know? But it just got caught in my throat! How do you walk up to a guy and tell him you could be his father? It's not possible! I mean we do look alike though! And I mean it's not good after learning that Raine died! Oh man, why didn't she even tell me she had a son! Kiros, what am I going to do!"  
Laguna actually stopped talking and it caused Kiros to turn his attention away from the tube. "I hadn't really expected you to try to talk to him so soon. You should try to get on his good side first." He picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels. "Maybe wait until after the concert before telling him." He laughed slightly, a little small sound as he leaned back and looked over at Laguna. "There's still a chance he's probably not your son. Looks alone don't always mean anything…and he definitely doesn't seem to act a lot like you."

"You think so?" Laguna said before he smiled too and moved getting into the bed with his lover. Kiros instantly curled up next to the warmth of his boyfriend's body, closing his eyes tiredly. Really, Laguna shouldn't have been in his room at all. But for tonight, Kiros didn't care about that. It actually ached being so close but so far away from Laguna just because of the rules and their current jobs. Relaxing, that's all Kiros wanted to do right now. By the sound of Laguna's light snoring beside him, he knew that the other obviously agreed with him.

"I'm not sure what to think," he said softly, not knowing that Laguna couldn't hear what he was saying. Maybe for tonight, he'd let Laguna stay in his room with him. If anything, they could pretend they were just chatting it up and somehow got drunk and fell asleep together. Now that Kiros thought about it, the rules really didn't make much sense. If he wanted to he could talk to Sephiroth and plot with him over who should win. He didn't even know the man. But somehow the people making the rules must have thought that if two judges were in a relationship than there was a chance they'd automatically agree on the same person. Kiros sniffed at that. That wasn't always the case. He didn't always agree with Laguna's decisions. That was just the way things were for them though.

* * *

"Irvine!"

"Oh my god it's Irvine!"

"Oh can I have your autograph!"  
"Oh Irvine!"

"I love you, Irvine!"

"Please take me with you!"

"Sleep with me, Irvine!"

"Ladies, ladies," the playboy said as he flashed them his grin, sitting at a table in the club as if his entrance didn't stir up enough trouble. Irvine was in the quieter part of the club, away from the flashing lights and the blaring of the music. There was a glass of scotch on the table in front of him, which he'd barely drunk since his attention was currently occupied. Now he was surrounded by all these beautiful women, some with their asses barely covered, eyes on him. Irvine knew this would happen considering how often he ended up being put in these situations. Not that he minded since they were all such lovely ladies. The hard part now was trying to decide on which woman he wanted to sleep with. A sudden image of Squall flashed through his mind before he shook his head quickly. That had to be the LAST person he wanted to think about right then.

So then why the hell am I still thinking about him?

Oh hell….

Shaking his head quickly, he put on his trademark smile snickering inwardly as a few of the females fainted right there on the spot. There were people there to catch them, thankfully, or else Irvine was sure he'd feel bad for it. "As much as I like the idea of enjoying the company of all of you, so many would wear me out." He laughed when he heard the mounds and mounds of protest. Some were offering him money, some their undying love for him, others were doing their best to tempt him with flashes of skin, though trying to be sly about it considering there were bouncers all over the place. Yeah, this was way more comfortable than being stuck in that damn stoic hotel with all the assholes. Not that he was calling Zell an asshole, nah that was his bud there. He wondered why it was he got along so well with Zell. He also wondered why it was he would sometimes get a mental picture of Zell naked. That didn't make him gay though. No, it had to be more along the lines of curiosity, right?

Irvine felt his hat suddenly lifted off his head and frowned as he tilted his head back to see who it was. He found himself staring into a pair of bright green eyes and smiled watching the girl put the hat onto her head. Her hairstyle was a little out of the ordinary, brown hair sitting up in a strange fashion as if it were defying gravity itself. Then again, Squall's pointy hairstyle often did the same thing.

Stop thinking about him!

"Well well," Irvine said grinning as he stood and turned around sitting his butt against the edge of the table he was at, a foot coming up to recline on the chair he'd just been sitting in. "So who do we have here?" Irvine asked reaching out a hand and touching her under the chin lightly.

The girl giggled slightly, a light tint of a blush coming to her cheeks as she smiled at him. "Selphie." She clapped her hands together quickly, looking like she was ready to jump up into the air. "I've been a big fan of yours for a long time!" She yelled out to him, apparently not caring who heard. Not that it mattered, considering Irvine had heard the same all night. In fact, Irvine was already noticing the jealous glares the other females were sending Selphie's way. Ah well, there was no help for it.

"So how would you like to join me in the VIP room?" Irvine asked smugly, watching the girl's eyes light up even more, along with the blush to her cheeks.

"Yay!" She didn't hesitate, grabbing his hand and starting to tug him away. Irvine didn't expect that move and was temporarily thrown off balance and reaching up for a hat that wasn't even on his head. He heard the other females behind him groaning and starting to head their separate ways, some giving off choice words, others screaming for Irvine to come back. Irvine wasn't hearing that though, his eyes watching the way Selphie's ass was moving in that tight ass skirt. Oh yeah, he was really going to enjoy this tonight! Especially since it had been about three days since he'd last had some! He really needed this!

"Well well, if it isn't Mr. straighter than an arrow himself." The voice threw Irvine off and he found himself stopping where he was, freezing in his actions to follow the girl as he turned in the direction of the voice. Reno stood there, covered in a haze of red and blue lights as he smirked, his hands in the pockets of the trench coat he was wearing. It was very stylish and seemed like something very comfortable to wear with his white suit which, really, didn't go too well with the club theme. The females that were around didn't mind it though, considering how they were surrounding both Reno and himself. There was another man there, a tall guy wearing black shades with a clean cut black beard. He seemed like he came straight from the FBI or something weird like that. Whoever he was, he was doing a good job of keeping the females at bay with his intimidation alone. Irvine's eyes settled on the third person that was standing beside Reno. He felt his mouth dry and he turned his eyes away, feeling the effect of staring at such a fine creature with his long hair set in a ponytail and clothing that definitely hinted at him being male, though a explicitly gay male, in Irvine's opinion. Vincent, for the most part, didn't seem to be looking at him but was staring off somewhere, completely unfocused now. The fact that he stood so close to Reno bothered Irvine though he couldn't say why.

Irvine felt Selphie's persistent tuck on his hand and smiled to her softly before he turned a glare onto the red haired man in front of him. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Temper temper," Reno said smugly as he started walking closer causing Irvine's body to start to tense up. Whether it was in fear, anger, or just uneasiness, Irvine wasn't sure. He didn't know why but the other male always seemed to bother him somehow. Maybe it was his eyes or the way he moved. There was no answer for it though. "You wouldn't want your darling fans to think you were a cold hearted bastard, now would you?"

Sighing, Irvine forced himself to calm down, finally letting go of Selphie's hand as he folded his arms across his chest giving Reno a look. "Just answer the question. Why the hell are you here? Are you stalking me?"

"We're just out to have some fun…aren't we, Vincent?" Reno turned his head looking at the black haired angel who looked up at him before looking down, a frown marring his lips.

"We just wanted a night out away from the stress of practice," Vincent said turning his eyes towards Irvine making the other forget just how easy it was to breath. How could a guy be so breathtaking?

Fuck that! How can a guy be as sexy as a female! I wonder if he screams like a woman when he's fucked.

For a moment, Irvine found himself wondering whether or not the other was really a female, but there was so much pointing in the direction of him being a male. The only thing that could really cause any confusion was that long ponytail of black hair down his back.

Reno looked down at Irvine's crotch before he smirked looking back up at the man and sending him a little wink. "Looks like females aren't the only thing you're into." Irvine growled slightly then froze, eyes widening as the other stepped up extremely close to him, sneaking a hand down to grab his crotch though that action could easily be hidden by the open trench Reno was wearing. "Seems like it's quite hard," Reno said leaning in and whispering into Irvine's ear, his hand moving back and forth over Irvine's crotch as he heard the other starting to pant. "You crave a man's touch. I think you want me to fuck ya." Clenching his eyes shut, Irvine lifted up a hand pushing the other way from his roughly, his heart pounding fast in his ears. He felt dizzy but he couldn't even explain what was the actual cause for that.

Why the hell am I responding to this jackass!

"You bastard!" Irvine yelled out then snapped his mouth shut as now every eye in the bar was on him. He ignored them as best he could and turned to walk away. He was pissed off now, but he couldn't make a scene here in the bar without Quistis trying to kill him later, though he was seriously tempted now. He could hear Reno's laugh behind him, could tell the other was getting a rise out of this. Irvine didn't know what to say to that though, not after the man had just molested him. It wouldn't have been such a problem if he didn't find his body responded to it. He hated to say it but he liked it. He made it out of the club and was just starting back towards the hotel before something caught his arm. He turned, responding before he could even think and found the back of his hand connecting with a cheek sending the girl he'd just smacked falling to the ground and holding her cheek in shock. He was shocked too, staring down at the Selphie girl before he quickly reached down taking her hand to pull her to her feet.

"Ah…sorry about that," he said sheepishly, his earlier thoughts pushed away temporarily as he was facing this pretty girl. "I didn't…mean…"

"It's ok," the girl said giggling slightly as she leaned in closer to him causing him to lean back slightly at the suddenness of it. "So what about our fun together." She gave him a little pout, actually looking cute in the hat on her head. "You promised."

He couldn't help but laugh now as he reached out pushing the hat more formerly on her head before he pushed a finger to her lips. "I can't do it tonight. But you see this hat?" He tapped the hat slightly and smiled at her as she lifted her eyes up trying to look at it. "This is one of my favorite hats. Considering it an IOU. You hold on to it for me until I come back to get it, then we can have some fun."

"OK," she said in a chipper voice, already bouncing up and down at the excitement of it all. Irvine's eyes instantly glued themselves to her bouncing breast. This was definitely putting him into a good mood that he was tempted to just rent a cheap hotel and take the girl there. But before he could even voice that idea, and probably get slapped at his cheapness, the girl was waving at him and running away. "I'll see you next time then!" She yelled to him before she ducked back into the club. Irvine just blinked before turning and starting for the hotel again. Now that she was gone, he found himself brooding again and questioning himself.

Was I really turned on by that guy? …No, there's no way in hell. I was already hard before he even did that. With all the lights and the music and the sexuality floating around, my body must have just responded like that.

That was Irvine's answer to it anyway. Deep down, though, he knew that there was more to it than just that. The fact that he was actually panting told him that he'd almost relented to Reno's administrations and almost fell for his trap. But never again. He'd make sure of that next time.

_

* * *

Why am I still thinking about him!_

Squall sighed resting his hand on his forehead as he lay in the darkness of his room staring up at the ceiling. Rinoa was curled up beside him, contently sleeping and oblivious to the plight that was plaguing her boyfriend's dreams. To be honest, Squall hadn't fallen asleep at all. All he could do was thinking about Irvine. Something about the guy was bugging him though he couldn't put a finger on it. He remembered their conversation in the hallway, remembered how Irvine actually leaned in like he was going to kiss him before the awkwardness of it was broken by Quistis's voice. He wondered if maybe she'd been watching them, waiting for the right moment to break in.

Good thing. I'd have to kill myself to even consider letting that sex brained monster put those nasty lips on me.

A part of him craved the idea of Irvine's lips on him. That was the part keeping him awake. He was thinking over the idea of ever even having a relationship with Irvine. He had to think Rinoa for that one, with her question of 'do you still love me?' He hadn't been able to answer her question, not sure how to answer if when he didn't know the truth himself. Was he in love with her? He was certain he had to have been to be dating her, but then again, did he even know what love really was?

Fuck, I need to stop thinking so much…

He glanced down at Rinoa before he stood from the bed quietly, slipping into some clothes before he headed for the door. Maybe if he walked around in the cool air outside, he'd calm down and actually stop thinking. He glanced back noticing that Rinoa had actually slid onto his side of the bed, probably trying to soak in what warmth he'd left for her. With a slight nod he was out the door, closing it quietly so he wouldn't wake her. The last thing he needed was her worrying over him and following him around. No, this time he really just needed to be alone. As he was walking, he let his mind wonder back to a certain indigo-eyed male. What made the other so afraid of the idea of a male relationship?

What made the world have a problem with it?

He sniffed slightly at that. Well, at least those crazy fangirls and their fanfiction weren't so afraid of it. In fact, some of those fanfiction that had him having sex with just about everyone were just plain weird. He didn't even want to think about it.

That didn't even come close to explaining Irvine's homophobic actions.

Squall frowned again, pausing where he was in the hallway before starting to walk again. Whatever, it didn't matter anyway, right? If the other male was afraid of getting close to another male, then so be it.

So why the hell am I so pissed right now!

Squall found himself giving a little grunt and sighed to try and calm himself. Ok, so he was still pissed about the fact that Irvine was completely disregarding him. He didn't like that he was always called the unsociable asshole of the group, no matter how true that was sometimes. Hell, sometimes Irvine was more of an asshole than he was. Then there was that Vincent guy…. Squall really felt his body heat up as he thought about that one. The guy seemed completely flawless, like nothing could ever get to him. So why the hell was Irvine so obsessed over that guy! Squall froze in the hallway, mouth opened slightly in a gape as a surprised looked lifted to his face. Was he jealous?

I'm not jealous.

Squall frowned, a finger pressed against his lips in thought as he tried to figure this out, his eyebrows down in concentration. Yeah, he was jealous, wasn't he?

No, I'm not jealous. Why would I be?

He would be because the idea of that Vincent guy getting so close to Irvine was really bothering him, making him angry. So yes, he had to be jealous, which meant he really did have feelings for the longhaired singer of SeeD.

Fuck! I'm not jealous! I hate that guy!

No, he liked that guy, more than he ever thought. That's why he fought with him so much. That's why he couldn't stand for Irvine to sneak out all the time to sleep with women.

Stop that! I don't care what he does! It's his own fucking body, if he wants to get a disease then so be it!

He was worried about him. He was envious of the women. He wanted Irvine to actually pay attention to only him. Did this mean that Rinoa was just there to keep away the pain of not having the other? Was she just there to fill his empty void and make him feel important?

I told you, I don't care about that! I'm not fucking jealous about a guy who doesn't even know if he likes men or not!

Squall felt a change to the air suddenly and looked down the hallway, feeling his body tensing. There had been no one in the hallway before he'd started his mental monologue but now, there was something ahead of him, a man. He noticed the man was walking in his direction wearing a business suit, his eyes closed. There was a red dot on his forehead, and semi long black hair going down his back. He seemed dangerous, like he was on a mission even though he was moving slow and casual. He was there for a reason, which was all Squall could say to that.

The man continued on, only slowing to a stop when he was right beside Squall. He opened his eyes then, turning his head and looking at SeeD band member, not a care in the world as he started walking again, the sound of his shoes hitting on the ground receding away. Squall found himself turning around and staring after the man, a thoughtful look on his face. The man...had definitely sent a chill through Squall's body when he looked at him. It wasn't a bad one, surprisingly, more like a sexual thrill. Maybe the man's mysteriousness was just confusing him or something like that. The man stopped in front of the elevator and pushed the button, only glancing over at Squall once before he just stepped inside the elevator disappearing from sight.

Squall found himself leaning back against the wall of the hallway he was in, trying to control his heart beat. That had been strangely exciting and enticing all at the same time. He wanted to experience that thrill again, yet the guy still bothered him for some reason. That had to be the only reason he was holding back from trying to figure out who the male was. He didn't seem like a regular guest so he must be associated with one of the other bands. Squall looked down at himself and gave a little shake of his head. He'd gotten turned on just from a 30-second random encounter with a stranger. Was he becoming as bad as Irvine now? He almost felt guilty, almost.

Screw this, I'm going back to bed.

He turned heading back down the hallway, in the direction that the man had went as he headed to his room. Hopefully Rinoa was still asleep. Hopefully, he'd be about to push her onto her own side of the bed.

Hopefully, I'll actually get some sleep now.

TBC….

Yay, Tseng has appeared. Why is he there, only time will tell! Muhahahaha! Anyways, I'm actually excited about this chapter, though that could be the lack of sleep talking along with the fact that I enjoyed all the groping scenes. I also feel lot of conflict is coming ahead with so many signals being passed back and forth between the males. Ah, we'll get to see about Zell next chapter! He hasn't made any special appearances in a while. Maybe some more info on Tseng, and well… I miss Zell and Seifer. Maybe a Cloudy moment too. :snickers: Well I hope it's too your liking. It's been a while, sorry about that. Classes can be so tiring still. Rude's the man too!


	8. FF Banding Together 8

Pairings: Irvine/Squall, Reno/Vincent, Seifer/Zell? Kiros/Laguna, Cloud/Zell/Sephiroth? Reno/Irvine? Cid/Vincent, etc

Warnings: yaoi, AU, slight moments of nose bleed, possibly major angst in later chapters, emotional stress, attitude, crossovers, possibly major flirtation action, stuff even I don't know about

Author's comments: Yep, classes again. On a good note I'm almost out of college. :mutters: Which means I need to start looking for a job soon or something.

Comments: (**changes made): **_"old McDonald"_ lyrics or well, singing (quotations and italics)

_My god, I wanna fuck him. what the character is thinking_ (italics only)

FF Banding Together 8

_Crap! It's the last day and I'm late!_

Zell rushed his way out of the room, almost running into a couple of maids as he turned the corner. He'd been struggling to get into his jacket and just got his arm inside before he turned giving an apologetic wave, a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth. Shit, Quistis was going to _kill_ him!

_Damn it! How did I forget to set my clock! I hope she's not docking my pay for this one!_

He slowed to a stop in front of the elevator and pushed the button as he bounced from foot to foot, chewing on the piece of toast that was left impatiently.

_Come one Come on Come one Come on!_  
The door opened to the elevator and he was about to rush in before he froze where he was finding himself staring face to face with Seifer. The piece of toast dropped from his open mouth to the floor as he was stuck in a shocked state before he noticed Seifer starting towards him.

In a panic, he made a dash for the stairs, pushing the door open and starting to run up them. At the sound of feet behind him, he knew Seifer was right on his tail. Crap! As if being late wasn't enough, now he was being chased down by this asshole who had a grudge against him!

"Stop running, you faggot!" Seifer yelled from behind him, slowly starting to catch up.

"Like hell I will!" Zell yelled glaring over his shoulder at him. That was the mistake he should have avoided. Not watching where he was going, he stepped on the step wrong and found himself falling backwards…right into the open arms of Seifer. The other's arms made their way around his waist, securing him to the lean, hard body behind him. At first the two of them stayed frozen like that, Zell surprised he'd been captured so easily, Seifer surprised to capture him that quickly. Then Zell started to kick and flair around.

"Let me go!" Zell yelled out elbowing Seifer in the stomach.

Seifer winced at the blow but held on, pressing his back against the wall beside him to help brace himself up. "Shut up and sit still before you make us both fall, homo!"

"Why the hell were you following me anyway!" Zell said finally stopping his actions, if only to keep from falling down a flight of stairs that could permanently end his music career.

"Did you tell anyone?" Seifer said keeping his hold on Zell just incase he tried to make a break for it. Zell frowned at the question trying to look back at Seifer but not really being given enough space to move. When he didn't reply, Seifer growled and tightened his hold on him. "Faggot, answer the question! Did you tell anyone!"

"No! Why the hell would I want to tell anyone!" Zell yelled wincing at the squeeze. Seifer was a lot stronger than he'd originally thought. "You've got to be the last person in this universe I'd want to be with so why would I want other people to know what _you_ did to me!"  
Seifer snarled at that and pushed Zell roughly against the wall on the opposite side, pinning his body there with his own to keep him from moving. "Is that so?" He said locking Zell's legs with his own and using a hand to pin Zell's hands above his head. "If that's the case then I can do what I want to you."

"What are you-" Zell's words fell silent on his lips as he clenched eyes shut moaning out. Seifer's free hand was inside of Zell's' pants stroking him. It made Zell temporarily forgot where he was and he who was with.

"Just shut up and stay still." Seifer said softly as he continuing to move the hand, head bent biting at the side of Zell's neck.

As Zell melted at the attention being given to him he noticed Seifer starting to grind his hips against his ass. Whatever was going on right now, it was definitely exciting Seifer to know end. The feeling was apparently on mutual terms.

"Seifer…"Zell moaned out softly, opening his eyes softly. "I…have to go…meet…" The words died on him as he moaned out louder, feeling Seifer's hand speeding up suddenly.

"Fucking…sexy…homo," Seifer whispered huskily against Zell's neck. Zell could feel Seifer's breath blowing deeply against his skin, giving him a burning, lust-filled sensation. Maybe the just both needed this that badly. Hell, he didn't even remember why he had to meet up with his group in the first place.

_I'm going for it!_

Once he felt Seifer's grip on him loosening, Zell turned around and lowered his hands pushing Seifer back against the opposite wall roughly. Seifer could stare at him in confusion, his eyes and mind too boggled by sex to get what was happening. Zell found himself panting heavily at the look he was being given, at the desire and feelings coursing through his body. He didn't thinking about his actions, just acted on them as he pressed his body up against Seifer's, pressing his lips to the other's in need.

Seifer gasped against his lips returning the kiss, arms curling around Zell's' body, pulling him closer as he grind against him. Zell didn't' need much more encouragement to grind in return, sliding his tongue inside of Seifer's mouth, feeling the other's hands moving to his ass and cupping it securely to pull Zell's body up tighter against him. Zell moaned out at that, really getting into it before his ears picked up the sound of people heading up the steps in their direction.

Seifer apparently noticed it as well, as he broke the kiss, turning his lust-filled eyes towards the general direction that he heard the noise coming from. He suddenly turned his eyes on Zell. "My room. Tonight. Or else." Seifer said between breaths.

"Room number?" Zell said just as urgently.

"1324."

"Time?"

"Twelve."

"I'll be there."

"You better."

Seifer gave him a quick kiss before he broke away running down the stairs. Zell stood there a little shocked before he turned heading in the other direction, eyebrow twitching in thought. Ok that was weird. If Seifer was only after the sex, then what was with the little kiss on the lips? Whatever it was, Zell didn't want to think too much on it. Hell, he was still trying to figure out why the hell he even allowed it, went through with it.

_I don't even like the bastard!_

For being a homophobic, Seifer sure was after his ass a lot. Zell grinned though as he thought about to what Seifer had called him. "Fucking sexy homo, huh?" He nodded slightly to that. "I think he likes me." He smirked then exited out of the door at the top floor.

Suddenly he came busting through the door again, running down the stairs quickly. "Crap, we're supposed to be meeting on the third floor again!"

* * *

"Zell, you're late! Pay dock!"

"Aww, man!" Zell said ducking his head as he walked the rest of the way into the room. It was a nice sized ballroom, though with very little decoration aside from the white curtains and cracked paint. Apparently it was the best room when it came to sound though. Zell kept heading for his drums, looking the perfect picture of a pouting boy as Quistis continued to glare at him. Frankly, Squall felt bad for him even if Irvine was off having a laughing fit.

"I'm telling you, Zell, you need to start getting here early like me," Irvine said between his fits of laughter.

"If I recall, you came about ten minutes late yourself," Squall said scowling at him.

"That's only cause I had myself a hot date last night," Irvine slurred, stretching his body in such a way that Squall had to look away from the sexiness of it. "When you're pleasing a woman like that, you need a little beautiful sleep." He laughed at that then winked over at Zell. "You weren't off fucking someone too, were you?"

"W-what! No way! I'm not like you, Irvine!" Zell sat down at his drum, already starting to hit them with the sticks through it was a little off because of the shaking of his hands.

Squall blinked as he saw Zell's cheeks flush a pretty pink.

_So he was…._

Irvine just laughed more causing Squall to send a glare his way. Pervert couldn't even be serious for two seconds. Squall looked over at Zell again then frowned. Who was it that Zell could have been with? Zell was right when he said he wasn't like Irvine. No, Zell was far picker, which was why he'd been by himself for a while now. For Zell to choose someone now must have meant someone impressed him pretty damn good.  
"If you guys are done now, we have a schedule to keep," Quistis said clearing her throat. Squall nodded then looked over at Irvine. He seemed pretty cheerful now, compared to not that long ago where he looked ready to strangle something. Could something have happened last night? He wondered about his words of having slept with someone last night. Normally if that were the case, either Squall or Zell would have been sent to wake him up. As it stands, that didn't happen this time. What was going on with his two band mates?

Irvine glanced over at Squall then smirked and winked at him causing the other to redden and turn away with a huff. He wandered why it was Irvine was effecting him so much lately. Irvine would look at him, and his heart would start racing. Was Irvine teasing him?

_Why the hell should I care?_

Squall plucked at the strings of his guitar, starting to tune it up. The last day. The last practice. They needed to put their heart into this one so they could win the competition. Not that Squall cared about things like that. Hell, it wasn't like he wanted to have more girls chasing after him…though he was sure Irvine loved the idea. Squall was about to pick another string and glanced up to find Irvine staring at him. The intensity of his stare shocked Squall, who blushed and plucked the string giving off a bad note. Everyone was looking at him, now even Rinoa who was leaning against the wall to watch the rehearsal. Rehearsal time was probably the only moment she didn't talk, which was why Quistis dealt with her so.

_Why was he looking at me like that! _

Squall shook his head at the thought, refusing to look at any of them as he continued tuning up. He wasn't one to play bad notes. It was just rare, that was all. But usually when he did it, it meant he was preoccupied with his thought, which meant he'd be hounded by the others asking him about his problems. He hated dealing with people as it was, had only dealt with Rinoa up until recently. He could feel Irvine's eyes on him still, knew the other had to know that he was the cause for the bad note this time.

_God, why can't I stop thinking about him for one second!_

Taking a deep breath, Squall set the guitar to the side and started off for the door.

"Squall, where are you going?" Zell asked as Squall walked by his drum set.

"Out."

"We're still in the middle of a rehearsal," Quistis said though by the sound of her voice, she was curious too. Squall didn't blame her really…her best guitarist was walking out in the middle of practice, something he never did.

"I'll be back," Squall replied, slipping out before someone else in his little group could ask a question. He sighed rubbing a hand at his head as he started down the hallway, hearing the door opening behind him and closing again. He was sure it was just Rinoa considering how she followed him around so. "I said I'll be back. Don't follow me."

"Well excuse me for wanting to check on one of my band members," the very non-feminine voice said causing Squall to stop where he was keeping his back turned to Irvine as he stared straight ahead of him. Why was this happening? If Irvine was straight like he proclaimed himself to be then why did Squall feel like he was being teased? Why did Squall even care? Was there really a chance he liked Irvine in that way?

"I don't need to be checked on. I'm a full grown man." He didn't dare to turn around to look at Irvine, certain that something in him would make him snap, would make him want to cling onto the other's long sexy body.

"A full grown man pouting like a baby," Irvine said with a little laugh. Squall growled turning around to glare at him, but the glare died off at the look in Irvine's eyes. It was almost like he was really worried, even with that small smile on his lips and the way he was standing like he was some sex god or something.

"Why?" Squall asked. It was all he could bring himself to say, forcing himself to close his mouth to keep from drooling at the man. Yeah Squall always did agree that the man was sexy…just that his attitude wasn't.

"Why what?" Irvine asked him, looking confused by the question and a little offended though knowing him, he didn't know why. Squall opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again, confused himself by what it was he was trying to ask. Shaking his head he turned around starting to walk off again. "Are you going to be ok?" Irvine's voice reached out to him and Squall had to force himself to keep walking.

"I'm just going for a walk," Squall said speeding up a bit even though he wasn't trying to.

"Alright. Just be careful. I don't trust these other guys. They might try to kill one of us off or something."

"Yeah." Squall thought about that then, remembered that man he'd seen that walked by him. The man seemed dangerous but on a set mission. He didn't want to know what could be going on with that or who he was. He had a feeling it would cause them some problems later. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

Reno found himself slammed hard into the wall behind him. He growled holding his side as he tried to stand back up. He could feel pain as well as blood at his side but he tried to ignore that, instead keeping his eyes focused on the man in front of him. The bastard had sneaked into his room without a problem at all.

_Prick…_

"I'm going to ask you again…"Tseng said walking forward and lifting a leg to slam a knee against Reno's stomach, knocking the breath out of him. "How much do you know?" Reno coughed, blood flying from his mouth to land on the ground in front of him as he held his stomach falling to his knees. Bastard was pretty strong for being some pretty boy who probably didn't wipe his own butt when he took a shit.

"The hell…makes you think I'd tell you…jack shit?" Reno grounded out, looking up at Tseng before he spit blood out onto his shoes.

"You're making this harder than it has to be," Tseng said quietly, reaching down and grabbing Reno by the hair to pull him up roughly. "All I require is your cooperation. You tell me everything you know about what happened and…" he let go of Reno's hair, letting the other's head fall back down again as he lifted the foot with the blood on it, rubbing it against Reno's face, "maybe I'll let you go."

"Screw you," Reno said panting softly as he turned his face away roughly. "You wouldn't get away with killing me. I'm a famous rock star. If you killed me, everyone would know. You wouldn't make it out of here alive!"

"You are right. Everyone…would know." Tseng turned walking away, moving past the unconscious form of Rude who'd been pretty beaten up, as he tried to protect both Vincent and Reno. But going against someone like Tseng, and his sidekick Elena who was currently watching a tied up Vincent, they didn't stand a chance. "If I were the one to do the killing. But everyone knows that you weren't the nicest person to your band mate." He stopped, kneeling down in front of Vincent, wiping off some blood that was at the corner of his mouth. "So it wouldn't be hard to come up with another story, say, your band mate getting tired of you and therefore killing you…. After all…you know his secret."

Vincent's eyes opened sluggishly as he looked over at an enraged Reno, confused by what was going on around him. He felt his head being turned and found himself looking up at Tseng. "Wha..?"

"Does anyone else know about him?" Tseng asked of Reno though is eyes were still looking at Vincent, apparently checking him over for injuries.

Reno growled then sighed slowly admitting defeat. "No. I'm the only one. It's too dangerous for anyone else to know." He was a good liar. Hell, he'd gotten his way through life mostly on lying, so why not use it now for his survival? Cid was the other person to know, but if he could keep his manager out of this, then all the better, even if Cid didn't know that much. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing." Tseng said finally looking over at Reno. "I'm just going to take back what's mine. He was the best we've ever made, I won't be losing him to something as futile as this…musical fiasco."

"It's not a fiasco," Reno said finally pushing himself to his feet. "And I won't let you take him." He narrowed his eyes, stumbling back lightly as he held his side. "He's going to be our key to winning this competition. After that, I don't care what you do with him."

"You think he's your lucky charm to winning, do you?" Tseng laughed at that, actually sounded like he wasn't such a bad guy. "Do you really think I'd let you keep him? He's not a toy for you. He's a machine for killing."

Elena glanced over at him, then looked back at Reno. "You want me to eliminate him?"

"No." Tseng wiped at his eyes. "I think this could be interesting. We'll see if he brings you to victory." He started for the door, snapping his fingers to cause Elena to run over and open it for him. Pausing, he turned around to look at Reno again, his eyes hardening. "But if you lose, you die." He left out of the room, Elena following and closing the door behind him leaving a shocked Reno there along with a slightly disoriented Vincent.

* * *

"Hey Seifer, you didn't meet us down at the thing, ya know?" Raijin and Fujin had found Seifer walking down the hallway towards the small classy restaurant in the hotel and had been quick to follow their bandleader. They were supposed to practice today but for some reason Seifer hadn't shown up, though Fujin had her suspicions. Not that she'd ever voice it though.

"Why should I?" Seifer said as he kept walking, practically ignoring his group. "We're playing against a bunch of faggots. There's no way we'll lose to them."

"Yeah that's just gross, ya know? All that kissin and huggin and touching and stuff, ya know. It's not manly at all, ya know?" Fujin elbowed him roughly in the side before she looked up at Seifer. The other seemed so lost in thought. What could he be thinking about? Then as though noticing how he was acting, Seifer shook his head quickly and moved faster down the hallway. Personally, Fujin had no complaints about two males liking each other. In fact, she secretly went online sometimes to read stories and fanfictions about just that on her laptop back at the room. Not that she'd let any of then know about it. Hell, she'd actually written a few fanfictions herself, mainly about some of the band members she was about to compete against tomorrow. For Seifer to be acting the way he was, it made Fujin wonder of maybe he'd just come to terms with something he didn't believe.

"Let's get something to eat," Seifer said stopping inside of the mini restaurant and sitting at a table. "I'm hungry." Fujin nodded her head taking a seat beside him.

"Yeah, good idea, ya know?" Raijin laughed as he sat down across from Fujin at the round table, about to put his feet up on it before he received a dark look from Fujin and thought better of it. "I ain't seen that shrimpy little pussy boy in a while, ya know? Like he's hidin from us or somethin, ya know?" Fujin noticed Seifer stiffen beside her for a second and finally understood what was going on with him. He looked guilty, nervous, and delighted all at the same time, definitely like something she'd read in one of her stories.

"I don't know where he's at," Seifer said before sending Raijin a glare. "So don't mention him again."

"Whoa!" Raijin said but kept talking, not really getting the signal to keep quiet about the subject. "Ya getting all huffy and defensive suddenly, ya know? Like yas actually likes the guy or something, ya know?"

"I don't like him!" Seifer said out suddenly, slamming a fist against the table causing heads to turn towards them. Fujin rested a hand on Seifer's arm for a moment then glared at the people until they finally returned to own business. As Fujin pulled her hand back, Seifer stood up pushing away from the table. "I'm out of here. Going for a walk. Don't follow." He turned leaving before any of them could say a word. If he was acting like this…then what was the possibility of them really winning the competition? In any cause, at least Fujin now had something new to write a story about. Maybe she should…keep an eye on the two of them from now on.

TBC…

:Just learned she can send reply's out via the reviews section: Awesome! Bout time:blinks: I love this chapter…even if I did spend a lot of it on Seifer and Zell. I adore them. I'm wondering if anyone's seen the new Seifer design for the KH 2 game. :snickers: He's cute but he just looks so young. I wonder how he'll act…and if he'll be calling Leon "puberty boy." Course with how young he looks, that'd just be weird anyways. :shakes head wonder if Zell might make an appearance: Anyways…


	9. FF Banding Together 9

Pairings: Irvine/Squall, Reno/Vincent, Seifer/Zell? Kiros/Laguna, Cloud/Zell/Sephiroth? Reno/Irvine? Cid/Vincent, etc

Warnings: yaoi, AU, slight moments of nose bleed, possibly major angst in later chapters, emotional stress, attitude, crossovers, possibly major flirtation action, stuff even I don't know about

Author's comments: It's finished! After several long months, I finally finished chapter 9!

Comments: (changes made): "old McDonald" lyrics or well, singing (quotations and italics)

My god, I wanna fuck him. what the character is thinking (italics only)

FF Banding Together 9

"Cloud…."

Cloud turned around at the sound of his name but he felt himself frozen to the spot, his eyes lifting up to rest on the man whom not too long ago he'd slept with. He felt his face heating up as he thought about it. Sephiroth didn't seem too bothered, wearing a blue sweater as he was heading towards him. A smile started to lift Cloud's lips but it fell as he saw the look on Sephiroth's face. "Sephiro-"

"I've been disqualified," Sephiroth said calmly, though his eyes betrayed him. He was furious, beyond all else.

"Disqualified!" Cloud's eyes widened in shock at that. How could this be! How could Sephiroth, of all people, get disqualified! There's no way such a thing could be possible!

_This can't be!_

"How!" Cloud clenched both his hands in Sephiroth's shirt, holding on tightly as he stared up at him. "How could they disqualify you! You haven't done anything wrong!"

"They found out about us," Sephiroth said as he reached down taking both of Cloud's hands and pulling them away, giving him a sad little smile. "I won't be able to stay here any longer."

"You…you're leaving?" Cloud stared in shock, feeling numbness coming over him as he watched Sephiroth drop his hands, the lingering warmth already disappearing.

"It's for the best," Sephiroth said taking a step back. "If I interfere in your life anymore than this, the consequences could be bad."

"I don't care about the consequences!" Cloud started to reach out to grab Sephiroth's hand but the other was faster and stepped back from him again. "None of this makes sense! Even if you've been disqualified, it's still no reason for you to leave!"

"This is the way it has to be," Sephiroth whispered as he turned his back to Cloud. "There's a lot at stake right now that I'd rather not see destroyed."

"Like what!" Cloud felt himself heating up not, getting angry himself. He finally had his life going smoothly, thought he'd found a man that wouldn't crush him only to have that man run away. Why was this happening to him! "What are you so afraid of seeing destroyed! Why aren't you answering me!"

"…." Sephiroth opened his mouth, looking desperately like he wanted to say something but instead he turned and walked away not saying a word.

_H-he's really going to leave!_

"Sephiroth!" Cloud reached out a hand, wanting to stop him but the other just kept moving, kept walking leaving him standing there in the middle of the hallway.

_T-this is just like last time!_ Cloud heard himself laughing and had to cover his mouth with his hands, feeling the tears stinging at the corners of his eyes. _Just like so many times before…it's just another one time thing…why did I fall for it again! H-He never meant to stay with me! He just wanted to use me!_

"Snap out of it!" Cloud suddenly felt a hard slap across his cheek that made his whole head turn. There was another slap and another until he finally came to his senses realizing that someone was hitting him. He reached up a hand blocking the next blow from reaching his cheek as he looked up seeing Reno standing in front of him. He didn't look so great, his face all bruised up and his clothes torn and bloody here and there. "This isn't the time to be panicking! I need you to play tomorrow so we can win, you got that!"

"I don't care…." Cloud turned to walked off but Reno caught his shoulder and turned him around quickly, glaring into his eyes.

"We're going to win this competition, you got that! There's no way we're going to lose!"

Cloud pulled away roughly, snarling at the man as he sent his own glare. "Fuck you! You're not going to make me do shit just because YOU want it done!"

"Whether you agree with me or not isn't an issue! You've signed a contract saying that you would stay in this band until either the manager or I decide to let you go! This mean you listen to my orders and you play! And if you try to screw this up, I swear I'll kick your ass!"

"I doubt you could even get close to my ass," Cloud said darkly, glaring up at the man. "Just because Vincent follows your every word doesn't mean that I will." He turned and started walking away leaving the man behind.

"You fucking bast-" Reno started to follow but a pain in his side told him that bothering with the blond wouldn't do him any good in this shape. "You're lucky this time." Reno sneered and turned walking off in another direction.

* * *

"Well…?" 

"I quit just like you told me to," Sephiroth said standing in front of the man, his hands clenched at his sides. "So if you hurt him, I swear I'll kill you."

"As if I haven't heard that enough," Tseng said smirking at Sephiroth looking far too calm. "Once they've lost then you can go back to your little boy toy all you want. But for now, we're playing things my way."

"Why do you want to do this to him?" Sephiroth asked, turning his head away so that he wouldn't lash out at those calm eyes.

"Why shouldn't I? They have something I want and I mean to get it no matter what the means." Elena stopped beside him holding a glass of water and he turned, taking it from her. "Besides, he's better off losing than finding out how his dear friend really died."

Sephiroth's eyes widened at that but the man looked as if he didn't care as he calmly sipped some of the water. "You…wouldn't…"

Tseng looked over the rim of the glass, causing a panic to rise in Sephiroth as he pulled it away. "I would and you know it." Tseng handed the glass back to Elena. "But if you just keep on staying out of the way, then I promise I won't harm him."

Sephiroth just stared at him a moment before he sighed and closed his eyes, defeated. "Fine…as long as you don't do anything to him or tell him about what really happened to Zack, I won't interfere."

"Now you've got the picture," Tseng said, smiling as he reached up patting Sephiroth on the head like a puppy before he turned to the girl beside him. "Elena, I think it's time I went to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day…for both of us."

"Yes sir," Elena said quickly, saluting him before she went off ahead to go fix up the room. Tseng turned to follow her but before he went into his room he stopped and glanced over his shoulder at Sephiroth. "If you so much as reveal a single thing to him, I'll kill him." Sephiroth just stood there, his head hung in defeat at the initial problem that he would be facing in the near future. With how he'd left Cloud, there would be no way the other would ever want him back.

_But if he found out about Zack…._

Sephiroth shook his head from his thoughts and looked up at Tseng. "I won't interfere."

"I'm glad we're in agreement. I wouldn't want to have to retrain such a perfect pet as you." He went into the room, the door closing behind him. Sephiroth turned around to leave but suddenly found himself facing the young pretty boy Rufus who was staring at him and frowning.

_He…looks just like his father….

* * *

_

Rufus frowned staring at the back of Sephiroth, having just missed what had happened. He had wanted to ask the man if he was ok but when the other turned around, and their eyes met it was like something clicked inside of him. In a flash he saw a small seven-year-old version of himself peeking between the crack of a door seeing a man hanging from the ceiling by his wrist. The man had been looking down at the time but at the slight gasp the little Rufus had made, he had looked up and their eyes had met. It had only been a brief second before the door was pushed closed and Rufus had looked up to find his father glaring down at him.

"You're," Rufus started but Sephiroth interrupted him before he could finish.

"You're the Shinra boy," Sephiroth said suddenly, the look on his face saying he recognized him.

Rufus frowned a moment before he nodded his head. Everyone knew he was the son of Shinra, but this man…somehow he felt different than the others. "You're the man from the basement, aren't you?" He was stating it as a fact.

"I think you're confused with someone else," Sephiroth said before he started to walk past him.

"No, I know it's you…your eyes say so. They're…different…like they burn with ice and fire at the same time." Sephiroth faltered in his moves and glanced back at Rufus before he turned and kept going, apparently deciding to ignore the whole thing.

"H-hey, wait!" Rufus followed him, staying hot on his heels as he rained questions down on him. "Who are you? You said you were a judge but I think you're just covering it up for something. What are you really here for? Is it true you were with Cloud last night? I saw you two! I swear if you hurt him-"

"You could do nothing." Sephiroth said suddenly, breaking through Rufus's talking.

"Wh…what did you just say?"

"You are incapable of stopping anything that happens, no matter who your father is. All of this is out of your limits."

"I…."Rufus fought with his mind to come up with something, anything to use against the man but when it all came up blank he growled and turned away angrily walking away. So what! Everyone had a weakness, even this man!

_I just have to find out what it is and use that to get answers out of him!

* * *

_

"Ah…man this is hard…" Laguna stood in front of Squall's door, rubbing at his head slightly as he tried to figure out how to go about doing this. What else could he say really? 'Hey, how ya doing? By the way, I think I might be your father.'

_Yeah that's a real good way to make me look like a psycho._

"Why are you making this harder than it seems?" Kiros said standing beside Laguna. "It's not too hard to knock on the door and talk to him."

"He doesn't exactly seem like the talking type," Laguna said giving Kiros a little smile though it was obviously out of nervousness. What would Squall think of him? Would he blame him for leaving his mother? Would he want to kill him, never see him again?

_I guess I would be the blame for her death._

"Just don't think about it," Kiros said resting a hand on Laguna's shoulder and giving him a smile. "Act natural. That always works."

"Y-yeah! You're right! I'll just act like myself!" He rested his hands on his waist, nodding his head quickly before he punched at one of his hands. "I'll just prove to him that I'm a good person and-wait! Where are you going!" Kiros looked at him from where he was further down the hallway. "I wouldn't want to interfere with a father/son moment. Besides, you really need to catch up with him."

"But wait! What if I do something wrong!"

"You'll be fine. You're a very unique and loving person…I'm sure he'll love you either way." He turned opening a door and left going down the steps, leaving Laguna to face his problems alone.

Laguna's mouth gaped open before he realized it and closed it, narrowing his eyes in determination. "Right! I can do this! No problem!" He raised his hand up knocking on the door then waited. There was no reply and he knocked again, thinking maybe Squall was sleep or in the shower. Again there was no answer causing Laguna to sigh and look at his watch. "7' o clock already? They must be at dinner then." Laguna grabbed his stomach as he felt his tummy starting to rumble.

_Ah, I'm feeling hungry myself. I can do this later!_

He started to turn and walk away but suddenly felt himself grabbed from behind, a hand with a cloth coming up to cover his mouth. He managed to struggle for maybe three seconds before suddenly he lost all sense of anything, falling into unconsciousness.

* * *

Squall sat at the dinner table, Rinoa sitting beside him chattering quietly though he was only partially listening, his mind somewhere else. He took note to Zell sitting across from him, eating a couple of hot dogs and French fries, but said nothing to him. His mind was somewhere else; somewhere he'd rather it not be. 

_I'm thinking about him again…._

There was really no help for it. Especially since the man he was thinking about hadn't even shown up for dinner yet.

_Where could he be?_

He was starting to get frustrated now. Irvine would normally be here by now, but for some reason Irvine was absent today. It was bothering Squall to no end. In fact, the only think he could do was let his imagination run wild, wondering what Irvine could be up to that would cause him to be late.

_But why do I even care! _

Squall slammed a fist against the table causing Rinoa to stop talking and to look at him. Zell stopped eating, his mouth poked out from the hot dog he'd just bitten from, and looked over at Squall, frowning slightly with worry though it looked funny with the food in his mouth. "You ok?" He asked around a mouth filled with food though surprisingly nothing fell out.

"I'm fine…" Squall said quietly, refusing to look at either one of them. The last thing he needed was more questions. Why couldn't he keep his feelings contained better? Why was he getting so emotional over Irvine? Either way, Irvine must have known someone was thinking about him because the next thing Squall knew, he was coming through the door. It was enough to make Squall's face light up…until he saw a girl with her arm hooked around Irvine's as she was being escorted in. Even worse, she was wearing his hat, despite her weird hairstyle that managed to defy gravity even worse than his.

_Who the hell is she!_

Squall said nothing, keeping his eyes on the table even as Irvine was making his way to the table. "Geez, you guys couldn't even wait on me to start eating, could you?" Irvine asked as he pulled out a chair for Selphie before he took a seat himself, sitting beside Zell. "Whoa!" He yelled out looking at Zell's face. "They're not gonna run away! Slow down!"

Zell glared at him for a moment then swallowed before he blinked, just realizing the girl sitting beside Irvine. "Who's that?" He asked pointing the hotdog in his hand in the girl's direction.

"Hm? Oh! Remember that hot date I mentioned earlier? Well she's the girl from last night! Her name's Selphie Trepe."

The named girl giggled slightly and held out a hand shaking Zell's hand when hers was grabbed. "Nice to meet you."

"Same to you," Zell said giving a smile. Squall just continued to stay quiet, frowning as he looked at the table. Irvine hadn't looked his way yet, at least not that he knew of. But at that moment he didn't care. Why did Irvine bring this…this female here!

_Why does it feel like I'm going to break into a million pieces?_

He felt a presence looming over him and looked up to see the girl smiling at him, hand outstretched. "Hi. I'm Selphie. Nice to meet you." Squall looked at the hand then glared at it reaching up his own hand. But instead of grabbing it he smacked the hand away from him.

"What the hell kind of a greeting was that!" Irvine said slamming both his hands onto the table and glaring at Squall, baring his teeth. "She just said hi. That's no reason to go treating her that way, no matter how much of an asshole you are!"

"Shut up," Squall said pushing his chair back and standing up glaring at Irvine now and yet feeling an ache he couldn't seem to explain. "Just because you want to be friendly and sleep with every female you find on the street doesn't mean the rest of us have to like it."

"Whether you like it or not isn't the problem! You can't go running around treating guests like trash! Especially my guests!"

"What difference would it make!" Squall said loudly, feeling as though this was the loudest he'd ever been yet finding it hard for him to stay quiet, the ache growing even more. "Whether you found her on the streets or she's been in your bed, it still equals out to trash! In fact sleeping with you has made her even worse than trash!"

"Don't insult her by calling her trash!" Irvine was really heating up now, his hands clenched in the tablecloth. There were others in the room, though now with their conversation being the loudest in the room, everyone was looking at them. But again, Squall didn't care! The only thing he could see right now was Irvine and that thing he called a woman!

"Should I call her something else then?" Squall said scowling as he leaned in closer, glaring heatedly into Irvine's eyes.

Irvine leaned in closer too, though his anger was still registered on his face. "Don't even think about it!" he said.

"Maybe I should go," Selphie said quietly from beside Irvine. Though her words were soft, it was enough to make Squall's attention turn to her.

"No need," he said, almost regaining his composure…almost. "I'll leave."

"Squall!" Zell yelled out seeing how serious this situation had gotten. Squall ignored the call of his name and turned away, the chair he'd sat in flipping over to land on the ground roughly. He didn't look back but kept walking, feeling as if his whole body was shaking. He thought he heard Irvine say something about the two of them getting out of there but he tried to tune that out, not wanting to think about it. Still his mind was in a storm. So much was waving around inside and confusing him. Why did he act like that? Why was he so upset and angry? He was acting like a jealous girlfriend! Not that Irvine was his to claim anyway.

_Why would I want him anyway!_

Squall's eyes suddenly blurred over and he realized with a sort of surprise that they were tears. Had he actually been reduced to tears over something so meaningless? Over someone he didn't even want or care about?

"I'm not crying," he said softly to himself even though the evidence was right there in front of him. He was shedding tears…and he didn't even know why. But whatever the reason, it was all Irvine's fault, all of it!

* * *

"Wow, he sounds like a pretty jealous guy!" Selphie said walking beside Irvine, her hands behind her back. 

"More like an asshole to me," Irvine murmured, his long legs taking him as far away from Squall as they would. "I can't believe he said all of that to you! What an asshole!"

"I think he likes you," Selphie said stopping to push up the hat that'd fallen over her eyes before she continued to walk beside Irvine.

"Heh?" Irvine questioned looking down at her. "What makes you say something like that?"

She giggled slightly and stood up on her tiptoes to poke him on the nose. "Silly! How often would a person get so emotional over something unless they really cared?"

"Well…I guess that's true…but I don't think he does it cause he likes me." Irvine frowned at that, though for some reason the idea that Squall might actually like him made his heart pump faster.

_Oh my god…I think I'm turning gay!_

"That guy's hated my guts ever since we met."

"I think you should talk to him." Selphie said as she stopped walking again and looked up at him.

"Are you insane!" He stopped walking too though it was more out of shock than the fact that Selphie had stopped. "He's in his mood! It's like he's pmsing or something! Messing with him would be dangerous not to mention there's nothing to talk about!"

Selphie's lips poked out in a pout as she grabbed hold of Irvine's arm, giving it a tug. "Pleeeease? Talk to him for me?" She gave him the puppy dog eyes and Irvine sighed, finding himself unable to resist.

_Why'd I tell her about that fetish._

"Alright, alright." He ran a finger through his bangs as he blew air out from his mouth. "I'll do it. I'll talk to him after the concert."  
"No!" Selphie said suddenly. "You have to talk to him before! If he's still upset then he won't play as good, right?"

"Eh…right," Irvine said frowning slightly. Normally when Squall was really upset or angry about something, it came out through his music if not through his actions and words. So if Squall was this angry, he was going to be a real pain tomorrow…and would probably cause them to lose to that jerk face Reno. Yet…how the heck did Selphie know about that?

_Hell, I only know because of the fact that I'm in the band with him._

"I read about it on a fan site," Selphie said as if reading his mind then smiled at him. "Information on your band is all over the web."

"Guess we are popular." Irvine chuckled slightly then hooked an arm around Selphie's as he started walking again. "So let's go have some fun before I have to talk to cranky!"

* * *

Zell sighed shaking his head back and forth as he looked down at his half-eaten hot dog. For some reason, with all this hostility floating around, it made him lose his appetite. "Geez, those two. This is the worst I've ever seen them." Zell glanced over at Rinoa then frowned seeing the sad look on her face as she looked in the direction that Squall had went. Probably by now she was seeing the truth too. Squall was growing feelings for Irvine despite how he acted. 

_More like she's just realizing that Squall likes Irvine._

That had to be a horrible feeling. Or maybe she knew before this…was always fighting with Irvine because she knew he was a threat to her relationship with Squall. And Irvine…well he still seemed to be playing the straight card though it was becoming more and more obvious that he was falling for Squall. Zell could tell just by the way he looked at Squall and even the sound of his voice when he spoke to him. So how was it that things turned so foul so quickly?

_Because Irvine decided to be an idiot again._

Zell sighed again. Well at least everyone in the room wasn't paying attention to them now though there was bound to be some gossip about this later...and probably some rumors on the net too. Irvine…of all the stupid moves to do…. "You ok?" Zell said giving Rinoa a smile. Rinoa seemed to blink herself out of a daze then returned the smile to Zell though it was half-hearted.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think…I should go check on him. And…tell him that everything will be ok." She stood up from the table, brushing at her clothes before she started off in the direction Squall went. Before she left the room, she turned looking at Zell. "Everything will be ok…right?"

Zell blinked at the question then quickly nodded his head giving her the most confident smile he could muster. Well…at the most things could be worst. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Don't worry about it. Everyone's just stressing out over this competition tomorrow!"

"Well you seem pretty calm yourself," she said smiling before she turned to leave.

"Yeah…" Zell said quietly to the air before he pushed up from the table himself.

_Might as well get some rest too before the big day._

He stretched his arms over his head yawning slightly before he noticed eyes on him. Glancing over to the side he noticed that Seifer was sitting at a table looking at him, his band mates sitting at the table with him. He noticed the action drew the attention of the other band mates and swallowed slightly as he took a step back from the table. Yeah sure, he did enjoy the other night with Seifer who was actually pretty damn good in bed. But he was still given the threat about telling anyone about what they'd done. He wandered if Seifer told his companions anything then swallowed slightly. There wasn't a chance of that happening in hell, not when Seifer was already freaking out and bugging Zell every second he managed to find him about whether he told anyone…before he started to neck him.

The sex is good, I admit but…well…is that all there is? 

Frowning slightly, Zell turned and headed for the door, deciding to get away while the opportunity was still opened to him. This was going into a territory he didn't want to think about, especially with someone he'd not too long ago called an asshole. What if Seifer really was only after the sex? He wasn't all that big on snuggling after sex, in fact not even a minute after they finished, Zell found himself dressed and pushed from the room as if nothing had happened.

_Well what'd I expect from that guy? A gently kiss and I love you? There was no way Seifer would ever say something like that! So just…give up and except things as they are._

Zell sighed quietly going into his room, his mind completely oblivious to the pair eyes that followed him.

* * *

"Is everything ok?" Cid said standing at the open door and looking out at Vincent who was standing there. When Vincent suddenly started to fall forward quickly, Cid was quick to respond, cussing as he caught Vincent in his arms. Because of Vincent's pale complexion, bruises could be seen appearing on the skin. There were also a few cuts on his arms as well as the slight residue of blood on his lips from an open wound. "Fuck, what the hell happened to you!" 

"I…" Vincent looked at Cid for a moment before he closed his eyes tiredly. "I don't remember…."

He said nothing else and Cid panicked for a moment before he noticed the light rising of Vincent's chest realizing he'd only passed out. This wasn't good…this wasn't fucking good at all!

_Did that Reno bastard do this!_

Cid picked Vincent up carefully in his arms then headed for the bed, kicking the door closed behind him as he went. He was going to have to wash him down and hope for the best. At the least, he just wouldn't be able to dance tomorrow…that wasn't a crime. Somehow though, Cid had a feeling things weren't going to go as planned. "Sure, beat the crap out of him then expect him to dance like a professional," Cid said muttering softly to himself. He went to the bathroom then came back, starting to clean Vincent's cuts with a rag and water before bandaging him up.

_Can I really believe that he doesn't remember a fuckin thing at all!_

He doubted it. Reno could be a prude bastard when he wanted to be. So there was always the chance that he threatened Vincent not to speak. And Vincent being who he was and following Reno's every word, would do just that. Cid was curious though. The fact that Vincent came to him though did make him feel special. He was most likely the only person Vincent could trust…and that made him feel good though he wished Vincent would be more open with the others too.

_Ah screw it. They can't even take care of their own problems._

He glanced down at Vincent lying quietly on the bed in sleep then sighed as he lay on the other side of the bed. "I guess you'll be sleeping with me tonight, pal." Not that he regretted the idea. Tomorrow was the day…hopefully everyone was ready for that…even Vincent whom he was sure was going to dance no matter what.

_Damn it, stop thinking about this crap and go to sleep!_

TBC….

Yes! Finally, I'm updated! I have to think the reviewers to which um….really….went ahead and pushed me to finish working on this story even though I've been working on this chapter since whenever the last got updated. I just got a little lazy, really! I'll try to keep it up! It's getting really close to the end and I don't want to leave it hanging! Not to mention the Irvine/Squall fun really keeps me going. Well…so does Vincent/Irvine….and Sephy/Cloud angst….hehe and Laguna/Kiros teasing….and Zell/Seifer torture…..and...etc…


	10. FF Banding Together 10

Pairings: Irvine/Squall, Reno/Vincent, Seifer/Zell? Kiros/Laguna, Cloud/Zell/Sephiroth? Reno/Irvine? Cid/Vincent, etc

Warnings: yaoi, AU, slight moments of nose bleed, possibly major angst in later chapters, emotional stress, attitude, crossovers, possibly major flirtation action, stuff even I don't know about

Author's comments: Yes…my lyrics suck….but I tried. :grins: Hey, it's not horrible…I…guess…. :thinks on that one: Well it's the thought that counts?

Comments: **(changes added this time)**: "_old McDonald_" equals lyrics or well, singing (quotations and italics)

_My god, I wanna fuck him_ equals what the character is thinking (italics only)

**Added! **_(words in the italics and parentheses) _equal backup singers

FF Banding Together 10

"Laguna! Sephiroth!" Kiros called out the names for the other two judges but frowned when no one showed up or responded to the names. This was getting kind of weird. As if Laguna not showing up at his room last night wasn't bad enough, now Sephiroth was missing too. And it was about to get even worse considering that he was backstage and supposed to be presenting in a couple of minutes!

_He would pick a time like this to be absent._

Kiros frowned, brushing his hand over his sparkling jewel covered white pants and his ruffled light blue shirt that was half opened in the front. He was even feeling jolly enough to wear a flower in his braided hair, just happy that he'd be able to spend his time with Laguna once again after the competition.

_But Laguna's not here…where could he be?_

"Lagu-"

"Laguna's not here," a voice said from behind Kiros causing him to turn quickly, striking out in surprise. When he felt his hand being caught, his eyes widened and he found himself staring up at a suspicious looking main in all black…a red dot standing out on the middle of his forehead. Who was this man? And what did he mean by Laguna not being there? "I and another will be filling in for Sephiroth and Laguna. Apparently Laguna's come down with a little cold and can't perform tonight. As for Sephiroth well…let's just say he's been caught breaking the rules." A smirk lifted to the man's face…and not the good kind too. Kiros frowned, his mind telling him not to trust this man…telling him the man was lying. Yet, it would do him no good to mention that right now, especially with no proof on hand.

_Breaking the rules…it sounds as though he's hinting at something…about Laguna and me…._

"Well then," Kiros said giving the man a strained smile as he pulled his hand free. "It's very nice to meet you Mr.…?"

"Call me Tseng," the man said as he held a hand to his chest giving Kiros a little bow. "And you may call her, Elena." He gestured to the girl beside him and Kiros had to take a double take at that. For some reason, he hadn't even noticed the girl standing there. How long has she been listening? How much did she already know!

"Well," Kiros said, nodding his head to the girl, "you can just call me Kiros. But I'm sure you knew this already." He didn't put his hand out to them; however, refusing to shake hands with this man that was giving him really bad vibes. It felt as though this competition was rigged somehow…and now he was in the middle of it. He wanted to go find Laguna as soon as possible, but with the competition about to begin, there'd be no way to do that…unless….

_Squall might help! _

It was a big hope, but at least he could allow himself to feel confident in it. Squall would just have to find Laguna and Sephiroth before it came time for his band to play. That should be no problem for the antisocial boy of the SeeD band. The hard part would be convincing him to do it….

"Ah, excuse me," Kiros mumbled slightly giving Tseng a little wave. "I need to go wish the bands luck before we start the show."

"Elena, why don't you go with him," Tseng threw in suddenly, a strange glint coming to his eyes as he stared at Kiros. "It might do you some good to learn a little more about the band members."

"Yes sir," Elena replied quickly, saluting Tseng with a hand before she turned to look at Kiros. "Lead the way."

"Um…right." Kiros looked away from Tseng, feeling as though his mind was being read. Somehow, Tseng knew what it was that Kiros had planned to do…and he was sending Elena along to monitor him. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to say anything, considering the dangerous feeling he got from both Tseng and Elena. There was no telling what plans they had set up if anyone found out about what was going on, whatever that might be. They might even try to kill Laguna if anyone found out!

_Laguna, please be ok._

"Squall!" Kiros said with a smile, trying his best to sound like his old self.

The named boy looked up at his name then seemed to frown suddenly, almost as though he was sensing the bad feelings too.

_I could only hope…._

"Where's Laguna?" Squall asked suddenly, actually glancing around as if to look for his loud mouth possible father. Kiros eyes widened at that. How was it that Squall would notice Laguna missing? After asking himself the question, Kiros had to mentally kick himself. Of course Squall would notice something like that. Normally Laguna would be hooked to Kiros's side…going wherever the other went.

_Are we that obvious?_

"He's sick," Kiros said quickly, noticing how Squall started to look more and more suspicious the longer it took him to answer. "He wasn't feeling well today so Ms. Elena here…" he gestured to the girl behind him, "is going to be his replacement." Squall seemed to think about that statement for a minute, probably registering it for truth before nodding his head.

"I see…" he said quietly, looking at the girl for a moment before looking straight at Kiros, appearing to be looking into his very soul for how intense his stare was. "I'll go visit him."

"You can't!" Kiros said quickly then bit his tongue before he said something more. "Not now anyway," he added quickly afterwards, not wanting to raise suspicion in Squall when he himself didn't know the full situation yet. "He needs his rest." He gave Squall a quick smile, already feeling himself sweating at the pressure he was feeling. "Besides, the competition's about to begin. It'd be best if we waited until afterwards." Again Squall gave him that look, his eyes clouding over for a moment in thought before he nodded.

"Alright…afterwards then…." Almost as soon as that was said, a relief came over Kiros as he smiled, just happy nothing was getting out of hand yet. He couldn't help staring at Squall though, just registering in his mind the similarities between him and his father. Both were definitely quite stunning males…both had that thing about their hair covering their eyes in a very sexy way…in fact the main differences really had to be their personalities…

_Aside from them both being stubborn…._

"The show is starting," Elena said from beside him and Kiros glanced back at the stage to see the lights starting to click on and the cheer of the crowd. Apparently, the crowd knew the show was about to start, because they were becoming very excited…and rowdy. Aside from being a judge, it was his job to calm them down…and he'd better get to it now.

"Good luck to you," Kiros said quickly to Squall before he turned heading off to the stage. It was show time and he had to do a good job at pretending nothing was wrong, or else Tseng would notice it. Kiros didn't know why he had a fear of that guy…but he did…a fear that was telling him that crossing the other man was not a very bright idea.

_Neither was leaving Laguna alone when a crazed man like this was wandering around._

"Ladies and Gentleman," Kiros said into the microphone handed to him as he walked out onto the stage. He smiled lifting a hand and waving it to the millions of cheering fans out there screaming their heads off. Already there were people holding up signs proclaiming their love for one band or another. It was a confident feeling and Kiros quickly let it take over as he threw his hand to the side. "Welcome to the annual Bahamut Competition!" He stopped speaking just in time for the echo of his voice to be drowned out by the loud screams of the fans. "I'm sorry to report ahead of time that the other two judges, Sephiroth and Laguna, will not be making it here tonight."

At the sounds of awws and some disappointment, some the fans screamed out their anger at the idea of the competition being cancelled. Kiros held the microphone tightly in front of him then looked towards the fans a second before he throw his hand out towards the side of the stage as if welcoming the new members…despite the fact that they were the last people he wanted to see. "But we have good news! It just so happens we have two new judges with us today! Please welcome Tseng and Elena as our new judges!"

Instantly the stands were filled with ecstatic screams of joy as the two named judges walked out onto the stage, moving past him to take a seat at the side of the stage in a box that was labeled Judges. Neither had said a word leaving Kiros to take that as a cue to continue. "Our first band up to bat will be The Posse, followed by the SeeD, and then Chaos Materia! After which we will take a brief intermission! Now…" he said not giving the fans a chance to start their yell fest as he held his hand up high. "Let's welcome the first band and singing the song 'Taint' given to them by the Bahamut committee, The Posse!"

The sound of cheering fans rose quickly but died fast as the sound of a guitar somewhere back behind Kiros was heard. At that sound, Kiros moved quickly to the side of the stage, taking his place behind the Judge's booth as the curtain rose, and The Posse band came to life. He felt eyes on him and glanced to the side seeing Tseng looking right at him, with that smirk to his face. It wasn't exactly a comfortable feeling, but Kiros did his best to ignore it and try to enjoy the show taking place in front of him.

* * *

Irvine frowned slightly as he stood backstage glancing over at Squall who was currently talking to Kiros. Even though he'd told Selphie that he would talk to Squall…he never got around to it. Exactly what was he supposed to say to the man anyway? It wasn't like he'd listen to a word he said without accusing him of being this or that…even if he was this or that. Still…it bothered Irvine a little that he was thinking so hard on this…about Squall.

_Why do I think about him so much, anyway?_

The frown refused to leave Irvine's face. He shook his head to see if that would help but all that did was make his head hurt. He'd noticed that Rinoa wasn't following after Squall as much as she used to and wondered suddenly why that made him feel so good. Well…honestly Rinoa could be a thorn in his side…but it wasn't as though she'd done anything to him literally…besides exist.

_I shouldn't be so mean…she's a nice girl…sometimes…when she's not accusing me of every little thing that makes Squall mad._

Well…more like blaming him. If the pancakes at breakfast were a little too dark, it was Irvine's fault for having slept with the cook and throwing her mind off course. So Irvine was just that good. It wasn't his fault that he was just sexy and every girl he ran into wanted him. Hell, even some men wanted a swing at him though he'd never allow it…well…he'd probably allow Vincent…only cause he was really pretty like a girl. Irvine shook his head quickly again trying to get his mind off that. He wasn't gay so there was no reason for him to be thinking such things about guys!

_Though…he'd definitely be pretty good in bed…I think. Well…Squall would be too if he wasn't so…tight assed…. Gah, stop thinking about that!_

It was too late though, images of a very naked and very ready Squall popping into his head. And yes…it was bad enough to be getting images of a naked man, no matter how sexy he was, in his head. But it was made worst when images of Vincent popped into his head in a similar manner of dress, and yet both men were posing for him in such provocative ways that he thought he'd lose his mind. In fact, he almost did lose his mind when those two images combined giving him some pretty kinky ideas of what the two of them would be like in bed together.

_Pull yourself together, Irvine. The last thing you need is to be on stage singing with a noticeable bulge in your pants…course the ladies wouldn't mind that._

The sounds of a guitar entered his mind suddenly and he noticed that the competition was starting and that The Posse were up on stage. It was enough to get his mind of the naughty thoughts he was having…but it also pushed his thoughts to Squall again as the absence of Kiros meant that the other was free to be spoken to. He noticed Squall moving off heading towards the dressing room area and frowned debating if he should follow and finally talk to the other. Despite having been around each other the majority of the new day…Squall had refused to speak to him about anything…and instead chase to talk to Rinoa, Zell, and Quistis…when he felt like it. Irvine sighed scratching at his head for a moment before he finally gave up and just went after Squall. They really needed to settle this before their performance started…or else there would be some problems with it later.

* * *

Zell stood at the side of the stage peering out at The Posse, but mostly watching the flowing body that was Seifer. He had the microphone connected to his ear, and was singing into it as he played quickly on the guitar, bring out a strong masculine sound as he moved to the music. Today they had him wearing a dark blue trench coat, and a pair of red slacks. He didn't wear a shirt, his chest shining with oil and making Zell blush and drool at the deliciousness of it. Seifer was definitely showing off today, more than he'd ever done before from his other performances.

Raijin sat at the background yet slammed his drumsticks down hard onto the drum, basically setting the tempo and keeping the music going strong and fluid with its vibrate sound. He wore no shirt either, just a pair of red slacks similar to Seifer's. He seemed to be getting into it himself, his head rocking from side to side with the music and his feet tapping as he played his parts on the drums, sending the fans cheering.

Fujin was somewhat behind Seifer and to the side, her guitar smaller yet just as strong sounding as Seifer. Though she didn't move around as much as the other two, she was obviously enjoying herself, the slight nodding of her head to the music giving it away. She had her hair styled covering over one of her eyes, her clothes a one-piece dark blue outfit with a red zipper down the front. It was definitely made obvious that she was the only female in the band there…as her body was being somewhat shown off by the tightness of the outfit she was wearing. Other than that, she wore a silver necklace around her neck, too far away for Zell to tell what it was, and some white tennis shoes that didn't look like they matched at all her outfit…yet somehow making her look cute.

Suddenly Seifer's mouth opened, and Zell found himself entranced at the beautiful sound of his voice. Seifer seemed oblivious to Zell standing at the side of the stage watching him. He was deep into the music, dancing slightly and singing with his deep voice, Fujin quickly following with the backup chorus and her softer, feminine voice. It was a nice blend though Zell really wished he could be out on stage with Seifer right then.

_"Don't touch me!"_

_(I want you)_

_"Don't come near me!" _

_(I need to)_

_"You're tainted...you're nothing to me!" _

_(Feel my desires)_

Zell flinched slightly at the words almost feeling as though Seifer were singing them to him. It made him feel…weird. Even though they were words from a song the Bahamut committee had given to The Posse…the words…felt like things Seifer would say to him…. Even the backup course made Zell things of the things he'd say in return…

_I want you…I need you…do I really feel that way for him?_

It wasn't as though Seifer loved him, just wanted the sex. Once this competition was done with, they'd probably never see each other again. That thought hurt….

_I don't want to think about that…about an asshole I'm not even supposed to like!_

Zell shook his head quickly from those thoughts, forcing himself to focus on the song itself…but who in their right mind would make a song like that anyway?

_"I felt your eyes on me,_

_Watching...Stalking...Burning...Teasing_

_I felt your touch on me,_

_Needing...Wanting...Squeezing...Pleading"_

_"No! Don't come closer!" _

_(I want you)_

_"Keep the taint away from me!" _

_(Please touch me)_

_"For my heart, belongs to the light,_

_As yours belongs to darkness"_

_(Join me forever)_

Zell found himself mesmerized as he watched Seifer's hips start to gravitate in a circle, feeling as though he were being teased. He felt himself blush slightly and looked away to try and hide it. Seifer was pretty good…at moving his hips…

_He's really good at it in bed…ah, don't think about that! Focus, Zell, focus! This is just what he wants you to do so you'll lose!_

Wait…what if this was all a ploy? Seifer using him to destroy his focus so he'd lose the Bahamut competition. Would Seifer really do all of that, even sleep with a man to win?

_I seriously doubt that._

_"Stop! Keep away!" _

_(Please hug me)_

_"My heart is clean" _

_(Please kiss me)_

_"I don't want this pain" _

_"This feeling you want to pass to me,_

_"I can't control it! Ahhhh..."_

_(Let me destroy you)_

Zell felt his hand clutching slightly at his half buttoned up white shirt and closed his eyes allowing himself to listen to the words. He knew he should probably be meeting up with the others, considering they were up next to perform, but he couldn't bring himself to move from the side of the stage. He wanted to be there when the song ended, to see Seifer's face…even if the other did ignore him.

_Ok, maybe that's stretching it a little far. He'd be more likely to chase me down than ignore me._

Though he had to admit, the thrill of being chased was fun…despite the fact that he was falling in love with his rival, something he was sure Irvine would flip over if he knew. Squall…well Squall would respond the same as ever, grunt and walk away. He glanced around quickly then felt his lips lower down into a frown. Where were Irvine and Squall anyway? For a second he panicked thinking that they were probably off killing each other but then…maybe they were doing just the opposite.

_Let's hope anyway._

He felt a grin lift to his lips as he thought about the two of them fighting over who'd get to be on top. Oh, he'd definitely pay to see that fight. Squall could probably win easily being that Irvine was a sucker for a pretty face…yet Squall might lose on purpose to be on the bottom.

_"Your touch has burnt me" _

_(Can you feel it?)_

_"Its mark has been left" _

_(My slave)_

_"I'm left with nothing _

_But the feel of your passing"_

_(Come with me)_

_Please stop this pain!_

_Take away my hurt!_

_I don't want it!_

Zell felt a sting in his eyes suddenly and frowned closing them both. He told those make-up artists that he didn't want the glitter on his face but they just had to do it anyway. And now look, it was in his eyes. He should go back and give them a piece of his mind though he doubted they'd listen to him. They had actually traced his tattoo on his cheek with the sticky glitter saying that it would make the tattoo stand out more on stage and make him look cuter. Like he needed help looking cuter. All he had to do was leave that to Quistis who seemed to have this thing for dressing him up, saying that she always was good with dress up as a kid.

_Well…it seems to be working fine at least._

He took his hands down from his face, blinking his eyes rapidly, feeling them tear up from the pain they'd just felt from the glitter. He felt the presence looming over him before he'd even seen whom it was and frowned finding himself face to face with Seifer. The other frowned, his chest heaving heavily and now glistening with sweat, which Zell looked at contently. Of course, he had to shake his head to get himself back on track and lifted his eyes up again to look at Seifer wondering why he was standing there before realizing that the song was over.

_That was fast…._

"What's wrong with you?" Seifer asked suddenly and Zell blinked with confusion before he felt a tear at the corner of his eye and rubbed it away with the back of a hand.

"What are you talking about?" He asked in return, thinking that Seifer had lost his mind and yet…enjoying the attention he was getting. It definitely made him feel wanted and cared for.

"You crying?"

"No, I'm not crying!" Zell blurted out quickly , glaring up at Seifer for accusing him of some a babyish thing. "I just got glitter in my eye, that's all."

"Yeah yeah…." Seifer just waved Zell's away like it was nothing. "I guess wussy boys will stay wussy boys till the end."

"What did you say!" Zell balled his fist up growling and glaring up at Seifer.

_He's asking for a beating!_

Zell almost found himself hopping from foot to foot in his boxers stance but quickly got a grip on that before he really did lose control of himself, instead folding his arms over his chest in something of a pout. "You can call me a wussy now," Zell said to him, giving him a defiant look. "But I won't lose to you! Our group will definitely beat yours in the competition!"

"Sounds like a bet…"Seifer said before he pushed past Zell, heading for the dressing room. "But I won't be losing to a bunch of pretty boys dressed in fag clothes and singing about love and peace."

_What the…he's just as much a pretty boy as the rest of us! With all that oil and hip shaking, he has to be!_

"We'll see about that!" Zell said before he'd even thought about what had been said. Pretty boys in drag…great move, Zell. You just agreed with him! He heard laughter and glanced up in surprise. That had to be the first time he'd heard Seifer laugh…and it was damn well sexy…even if Seifer did have his back to him and was walking away still….

_Maybe I was hearing things…._

As Seifer was walking away, Irvine and Squall were coming out…though Squall still seemed to be pretty pissed. Irvine didn't seem so happy himself…which had to be a sign that things didn't work out. As Squall walked by, Irvine stopped beside Zell frowning and staring after Squall before clicking his teeth.

"The asshole locked me out of the dressing room," Irvine said frowning and reaching up scratching his head underneath the light blue hat with the white ribbon tied around it. Yes, Quistis had them going with the innocent boy light blue color today. She said something about innocence being a key seller though Irvine had to be anything but innocent…in his unbuttoned light blue pants with his black silk boxers showing.

_Could be worse…_

"Don't worry," Zell said noticing that Irvine was waiting for some response. "I'm sure things will get better after we get on stage." He smiled softly and noticed Irvine visibly relaxing at the smile and starting to grin himself. Yep, Zell's cute boy act still worked like a charm.

_Go me!_

"You're right. I'll just try again after we perform, no problems there." Irvine reached up a hand lying it on top of Zell's and ruffling it around slightly though it didn't make a difference considering that somehow Zell got stuck with the rough boy hair look. "We'd better get out there," Irvine said suddenly, his purple eyes trained on the stage. "Kiros isn't taking any time moving on to the next performance. Last thing we need is for the curtain to open to a pissed off glaring Squall."

Zell laughed at that image and nodded his head in agreement, following after the taller male quickly as they went to get into position. The equipment was already all set up, all they needed to do was get into place. He took his spot at his drum set, petting it lovingly and mumbling softly 'wish me luck' before he heard Kiros introducing them and the song, "Karma," which was the song the committee gave them to sing. Instantly after the song was named, the curtain opened and the strumming of a guitar as the song started quickly pushed away any other thoughts Zell had.

TBC….

Crappy lyrics made by me:snickers: Well the lyrics made the chapter longer….yay me! So yeah, next time, more crappy lyrics and um….some other band issues…as things slowly start to conclude…and I'm sleepy. So night!


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